Dillons grocery chain re-entering KC-area market with northeast Kansas location

Dillons — a Kansas-based grocery chain that has been gone from the Kansas City area for several years — will soon open a Johnson County location.

The company announced Friday afternoon in a media release that it would open a spot on the corner of College Avenue and Sunnybrook Boulevard, across from Meadowlane Elementary and near Kansas State University’s Olathe Campus.

The new location represents a “broader expansion plan in the region,” according to the release.

“We are excited to announce Dillon’s expansion into the Kansas City area,” Steve Dreher, Dillon Stores division president, said in a statement. “While the specific details are not complete, we are currently collaborating with the City of Olathe to finalize plans for the building and site and are thankful for their partnership. This announcement marks not only Dillon’s return, but the beginning of our journey in the KC market.”

The company did not further comment on other future locations in the metro.

The announcement comes days after Dillons announced its latest grand opening at The Crossing at KU development in Lawrence, 2205 Iowa St.

Dillons has 63 grocery stores in 30 cities across Kansas, with 15 in Wichita, according to its website. With its headquarters in Hutchinson, Dillons has been around for more than 100 years and is now a division of Kroger — a Cincinnati-based grocery chain.

Mentions of Dillons grocery stores in the Kansas City area begin in the early ’80s and end around 2008. Around that time, Associated Grocers Wholesale purchased several stores and converted some into Price Choppers. Others closed.

Dillons locations included 588 E. Santa Fe in Olathe, 7405 Quivira Road in Shawnee, and 16665 W. 151st St. in Olathe.