Can Meijer’s Newest Stores Serve Pandemic Shoppers Better?

Meijer has opened five “supercenters” in the Midwest, the food retailer said Thursday.  

Each new 159,000-square-foot store offers what Meijer called “a state-of-the-art shopping experience, providing customers multiple ways to shop in a specialty store environment.” The new stores are located in Manitowoc, Wis., Sycamore, Ill., Bad Axe, Mich., and Brimfield and Lorain, Ohio.

The stores come with such digital and e-commerce features as Shop and Scan — enabling consumers to scan barcodes via a mobile app and then bag items while shopping — as well as home delivery and pickup services, which the retailer said has “helped encourage social distancing in communities across the Midwest.”

The new stores also have “more than 600 varieties of farm-fresh produce, 150 USD-certified organic items, and a full-service meat department,” Meijer said. Consumers in the five new supercenters can shop “pharmacy and general merchandise items more often found in specialty stores. That includes everything from women's apparel – with on-trend styles in every size, on the same rack, at the same price – to beauty care, an expansive baby department and a pet department that offers 200 pet toys, 500 varieties of treats for dogs and cats and premium pet foods.”

The stores also come with pandemic-protection measures that have become familiar parts of the larger food retail landscape over the past few months.

“Inside stores, safety decals will be visible on the floor where customers typically gather, and protective plexiglass shields are at every checkout station,” Meijer said. “Additionally, team members receive daily health screenings and temperature checks, and are recommended to wear masks. Customers are requested to wear face coverings consistent with applicable state or local guidelines.”

The new stores will enable customers to get more of their shopping done in one place, at least according to Meijer’s vision.

“These new stores reinforce our ongoing commitment to serving the needs of communities at a time when everyone is looking for a one-stop shopping experience," said Meijer President & CEO Rick Keyes. "We look forward to providing our customers with fresh options and innovative ways to shop so they can get the items they need while keeping their families safe."

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer operates more than 245 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 19 on PG's 2020 PG 100 list of the top grocers in the United States.