Meijer Opening 2 Smaller Grocery Stores
- Meijer in January will open two Meijer Grocery stores in Michigan.
- The stores are part of a new format that is smaller than its supercenters but larger than its market concept.
- According to the release, the stores are designed for the ease and convenience of shoppers.
Meijer is gearing up to open two Meijer Grocery stores, a new concept that focuses on convenience and ease for shoppers.
According to a Dec. 5 release, the retailer will in January open stores in Orion Township and Macomb Township in Michigan, not far from the retailer’s headquarters in Grand Rapids. The Meijer Grocery stores represent a new, smaller format store for the supercenter chain. The Meijer Grocery concept is centered on ease and convenience for shoppers, according to the release. As part of that philosophy, the stores will include a parking lot that wraps around a singular corner entrance to provide more parking spots near the front.
"By opening Meijer Grocery stores, we're introducing a new way for our customers to shop that provides convenience, value and the great quality our customers have always come to expect from Meijer," said Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes in the release. "Our customers' needs are always evolving, and we're committed to meeting them where they are. That's why we're excited to share this new Meijer experience with the Orion and Macomb Township communities."
While the store is smaller than Meijer’s usual offerings, coming in at 75,000 and 90,000 square feet, the new stores will feature numerous product categories, including produce and grocery, a meat counter, a bakery, a deli, a pharmacy, health and beauty products, baby products and pet goods along with a card, party and floral section.
Meijer, which operates nearly 500 supercenters across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, announced the new store format in September. The grocery concept follows its previous smaller concept store, a 37,000-square-foot neighborhood market store that first opened in Grand Rapids in 2018. A typical Meijer store ranges between 150,000-200,000 square feet.
The new grocery stores in Michigan will also feature options from local brands. The bakery will include products from local brands like Zingerman's and Achatz Handmade Pie Co. The meat selection will also include local brands like Fresh Sausage, Dearborn Brand, Kowalski Sausage Company and The Brinery. They will also sell pizza from the local chain Buddy's Pizza, according to the release.
Meijer Grocery stores will include standard options associated with its supercenters, including pickup and delivery options and its mPerks rewards program.
Numerous retailers known for larger footprint stores have opened small-format retail stores to reach customers in areas or regions where a store of their typical footprint doesn’t make sense. Target, which has dozens of small-format stores in cities and college campuses, however, recently announced it’d focus on even larger format stores in the coming years. Ikea this year shuttered two small-format stores in New York City.