JACKSONVILLE -- Iowa-based grocery chain Hy-Vee is coming to Jacksonville as the County Market store on West Morton Ave. was sold Thursday.

It was confirmed via multiple sources, including WLDS, of the store's sale. The sale was later revealed to current County Market employees.

"This time the rumor is true," Tina Potthoff, senior vice president of communications for Hy-Vee. "We are very excited to come to Jacksonville and be a part of the community."

Potthoff declined to provide specific details of the sale between Hy-Vee and store owner Niemann Foods. However, she said a timeline and plans for the store will be available next week.

"We know the news was out there, so we wanted to officially confirm it," Potthoff said.

The Quincy-based Niemann Foods has no comment on the sale at this time, according to Chris Mulquin, director of store operations for County Market.

Hy-Vee is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets primarily operating in the Midwestern U.S. The 280-store chain operates in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Midwestern regional stores in development are in progress in Indiana.

The grocery chain is also making its way to growing into a national brand. Stores are currently in the planning phase in three southwestern U.S. states: Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Hy-Vee was founded in 1930 by Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg in Beaconsfield, Iowa.

The closest Hy-Vee stores in east-central and west-central Illinois are in Quincy and Springfield.

For more local news, follow Ben Cox on Twitter @Cox4Liberty, Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardJRN and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.

Additionally, you can follow Heartland Newsfeed on Facebook and Reddit among other platforms. You can now follow our news updates on Telegram, Flote, and MeWe.

Support independent journalism. Become a patron on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. There are other donor options as well.

Get the latest news updates on our radio network via Spreaker, TuneIn, and other platforms.