In January of 2018, Peoria residents experienced first-hand the impact on grocery access generated by a market-driven decision of a national grocery chain. Kroger—one of the world’s largest supermarket chains headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio—shuttered their stores on Harmon Highway and Wisconsin Avenue, citing “under-performance.” The stores served Peoria’s Southside and East Bluff neighborhoods respectively. These two neighborhoods contain the metro area’s highest levels of poverty and lowest levels of food access.

This report—a compilation of various studies in the time since the closures—aims to support the development of healthy, affordable and sustainable grocery retail businesses in underserved Peoria neighborhoods.