Content about Chicago metropolitan area

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens will keep stores open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to allow last-minute Christmas shopping, the retail pharmacy chain said Wednesday.

This includes 1,600 24-hour locations that will be open around the clock, while most Walgreens stores will stay open until midnight through Dec. 23, and nearly all stores will be open during regular hours on Christmas Eve, including pharmacies, which will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Christmas, non-24-hour stores will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., and pharmacies will be open at 24-hour stores.

ITASCA, Ill. — Fans of "Zombieland" take heart — should the world come to an end, the last Twinkie will be available at a Chicago-area Jewel Osco. 

Jewel-Osco, a Supervalu company, on Monday announced that beginning Tuesday morning the retailer will begin selling what are believed to be the last shipments of Hostess products. More than 20,000 boxes of Twinkies will be sold at regular price through select Chicago-area Jewel-Osco stores, the company stated. "Customers looking for Ding Dongs, Zingers and Orange Cupcakes will also be in luck."

CHICAGO — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday joined representatives from Walgreens to celebrate the grand opening of a new Walgreens flagship store in the Bucktown-Wicker Park neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon, taking the opportunity to remind Chicagoans about the importance of getting a flu shot this season.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings, the parent company of Kmart and Sears, is looking to shift its business model to one that focuses on members of its Shop Your Way program and their shopping experience, the company said in its third-quarter 2012 earnings report.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Edward Hospital on Thursday announced the opening of two Quick Care Clinics within a pair of Supervalu's Jewel-Osco pharmacies. 

"We are always seeking new opportunities to expand our services," stated Chris Dimos, Supervalu president of pharmacy and nonfoods merchandising. "Through this partnership, we will be able to offer our patients even more tools to help them manage their health and wellness needs."

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart and Sears are offering free shipping for certain online orders as the holiday shopping season approaches.

Sears Holdings, the company that operates the two chains, said customers with orders of $49 or more from Kmart.com, Sears.com and MyGofer.com can receive free shipping. The company cited a recent "Sears Online Holiday Shopping Survey" that found most online shoppers listed shipping costs as their primary frustration with buying gifts online.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings has announced that Ryan Vero will join the company as SVP and president of grocery, drug and pharmacy.

Vero most recently served as the EVP and chief merchandising/marketing officer for OfficeMax. In his new role with Sears Holdings, Vero will be responsible for the oversight, leadership and growth, both in-store and online, for the company's grocery, drug and pharmacy businesses.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday pledged $250,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to supplement the organization's support of East Coast communities recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

The company also is donating three semitrailer truckloads of bottled water to a Red Cross facility in New Brunswick, N.J., to distribute throughout the disaster area. Walgreens stores in the region also are donating merchandise in response to community requests that have come in since the storm’s impact.

NEW YORK — The jewel in the Supervalu crown — Save-A-Lot — may be up for bid by investment firm KKR, according to a Wall Street Journal blog post published Thursday. 

Also in the hunt is Cerberus Capital Management, which is weighing a bid for all of Supervalu, WSJ reported, citing persons familiar with the matter. However, Cerberus may also look at bidding for only pieces of the grocer. 

Reportedly in the bid for the wholesale end of Supervalu's business is C&S Wholesale Grocers.   

MINNEAPOLIS — While Supervalu has completed its overhaul of its value proposition across its Jewel-Osco banner, the grocer will be analyzing the impact before replicating the price repositioning across its entire chain, the Minnesota-based supermarket chain announced Thursday morning. "We continue to have a market-leading price position amongst conventional food retailers in three markets," Wayne Sales, Supervalu president, CEO and chairman told analysts during the second-quarter conference call.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart and Sears are eliminating layaway service fees, starting a layaway home-delivery service and new in-store mobile features for what the company expects to be the busiest shopping season since 2007.

ITASCA, Ill. — Jewel-Osco on Friday announced that the company is observing Hunger Action Month this September with an aggressive campaign to raise food and funds for food banks and food pantries in the retailer's service area.