EXCLUSIVE: Inside Meijer’s New Independence Market in Michigan
Meijer is serious about sourcing local products for its stores, including its Market concept formats. So serious, in fact, that store leaders have been known to visit local farmers markets to talk to vendors and try fare at nearby eateries for possible foodservice partnerships.
Those efforts are evident in Meijer’s latest smaller-scale store, Independence Market at 5820 Waldon Road in Clarkston, Mich., within Independence Township. During an exclusive preview tour of the store that will open to the public on April 30, store director Robert Lajcaj shared with Progressive Grocer that store teams do, indeed, bring on vendors they meet at local farmstands and restaurants.
“We bring local products to our stores with everything from things that are hyper-local right here in the Clarkston area but also spreading out to more miles in Michigan. At any given point in time, 20% of our product assortment will be a local assortment,” he said. “You still have national brands and the value that comes with Meijer, but we have local value, too.”
That store walk revealed the hundreds of local items that customers can browse, many of which are touted in endcap and other stand-alone displays with special signage. Some vendors attended the preview event, such as The Cheese Lady and Dutton Farm, which employs working-age adults with disabilities.
The Independence Market also features an onsite foodservice concept from a local restaurant operator, Honcho. At that counter, shoppers can order coffees and pastries in the morning and grab street tacos and other Latin foods during other parts of the day.
Independent Market is Meijer’s largest market-style store, spanning more than 50,000 square feet. In addition to its typical 200,000-square-foot supercenters, the Michigan-based retailer operates other Market stores in the cities of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Royal Oak.
Located near Sashabaw Road and I-75, this new neighborhood market features a colorful fresh produce area right off the entryway, floral and gift department, sizable beer, wine and spirits area and health and wellness section, in addition to traditional groceries and household essentials carried in the center store and fresh perimeter. Lending to the marketplace feel, the store was designed with garage-style doors on one side that open up in the warmer months and an adjacent outdoor patio where customers can enjoy grab-and-foods and beverages against the backdrop of a mural created by local artist Chelsea Hensbergen.
"It’s a gathering space. We’re not just here to sell – we’re here to be a community partner and a place for people to enjoy,” Lajcaj said.
Following the April 30 grand opening, Independence Market will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The store will be staffed by about 80 associates.
Privately owned Meijer operates 500-plus supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company is No. 23 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century and one of its 10 Most Sustainable Grocers for 2024.
