The two families that joined forces to found Strack & Van Til supermarkets almost 60 years ago again will take over ownership of the area’s largest independent grocery chain.

One local store will not be part of the sale, however.

Jeff Strack, president and chief executive officer of the Highland-based grocery chain, said the Ultra Foods stores in Highland and Kankakee, Ill., will close.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court Northern District in Illinois on Tuesday declared that Indiana Grocery Group LLC was the successful bidder in a court-supervised auction of 20 stores and other assets owned by Central Grocers, of Joliet, Ill., and its debtor affiliates, including Strack & Van Til Super Market Inc.

Central Grocers had acquired the Highland-based Strack & Van Til in 1997. It filed for bankruptcy in May.

Strack said Wednesday that the Strack and Van Til families and a few others comprise Indiana Grocery Group.

“As we went through the process of bankruptcy, Strack & Van Til was qualified as a bidder and on Tuesday we were declared the highest bidder,” Strack said Wednesday.

He said the Strack and Van Til families saw the sale as an opportunity to continue to serve the people of Northwest Indiana as it has through the years.

Indiana Grocery Group outbid the sole other bidder, Jewel-Osco, which wanted to expand its presence in the region. Jewel-Osco, which operates stores in Dyer, Chesterton, Crown Point and Munster, had put in an initial bid of $100 million.

Strack would not disclose the amount of the winning bid, but said it would be revealed Tuesday, along with other information, when the sale will be considered for approval during a hearing scheduled before Judge Pamela Hollis in Chicago.

Strack said the current management structure will remain the same under the new ownership.

Frank Van Til, president of the Van Til grocery store on 169th Street in Hammond, would not comment on the auction, deferring comments to Strack.

The Van Til family owns the one grocery store and leases on some of the Strack and Van Til stores.

Central Grocers had closed 14 Strack & Van Til and Ultra Foods stores in Northwest Indiana and Illinois this year, including the Strack & Van Til on 73rd Avenue in Merrillville. Some Merrillville board and council members had urged the grocer to reconsider closing that store, saying it was popular among residents, particularly seniors.

“We have had a lot of emails and phone calls, a lot from customers and employees,” Strack said.

According to the company website, Strack & Van Til was started in 1959 when Ernie Strack and Nick Van Til, both of whom owned independent grocery stores, decided to combine forces.

They operated 38 grocery stores under the names Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods and Town & Country Markets at one time.

According to court documents, remaining Strack & Van Til stores will include two each in Hobart, Valparaiso and Crown Point, and one each in Cedar Lake, Chesterton, East Chicago, Hammond, Highland, Lowell, Munster, Rennselaer, St. John, Schererville and Whiting, Town & Country Markets in Portage and Valparaiso, Commissary in Valparaiso, Ultra Foods in Merrillville and the company headquarters in Highland.

Karen Caffarini is a freelancer.