1st Look at the New Meijer Grocery Banner: EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS
Long before the first Meijer supercenter changed the Michigan retail landscape in the 1960s, Henrik Meijer and his teenage son, Frederik, opened their first grocery store in the midst of the Great Depression. That market in Greenville, Mich., was known as Meijer’s Grocery.
Nearly 90 years later, the company is revisiting its roots by opening two smaller-format Meijer Grocery stores in the Mitten State, in Lake Orion and Macomb Township. Like the original stores, these are community markets that provide everyday essentials in a convenient setting.
“I’m so excited to bring a neighborhood shopping experience here, whether a customer needs to come because they forgot three or four items or they need to do an entire week’s shopping trip – we are just the right size to accommodate those,” Mary Kimbrough, store director for the 90,000-square-foot Lake Orion location told Progressive Grocer during a pre-opening media tour. A 36-year Meijer team member, Kimbrough came from the nearby Rochester Hills Meijer supercenter and will oversee a team of 180 associates.
Throughout the new stores, there are several nods to community history and Meijer’s history. The Lake Orion site features an array of historical photos and a reproduction of the first merchandise order that Henrik Meijer placed back in 1934, displayed on the service desk wall.
While celebrating the past, the new Meijer Grocery stores have been designed for the needs of today’s shoppers. For example, given the recent inflationary marketplace, many end cap displays tout competitive pricing and encourage shoppers to “Get more for your money” by enrolling in the mPerks loyalty program.
To Kimbrough’s point, the stores may not be supercenters, but customers can shop for a wide variety of products. “It’s a quick in and out but we also have full HBC, baby necessities and pet food. You can do it all,” she said.
Meijer Grocery is also catering to consumers’ interest in high quality prepared foods. Shoppers can pick up heat-and-eat meals under Meijer’s Crafted Market brand, available in the deli area. The focus on fresh begins just steps into the store, with produce displays set up front and center by the entryway.
The neighborhood market emphasis extends to area suppliers, too. The inaugural Meijer Grocery stores spotlight locally-sourced products in nearly every department, from Michigan-made spirits to seasonal produce to foods from artisan makers. “All of our supercenters do that as well, but we are certainly highlighting local vendors to bring in that neighborhood feel,” Kimbrough noted.
Sprout Bake is one vendor that was on hand for the media preview, providing samples of desserts made with its Take and Bake frozen batters comprised of gluten-free oat flour, sprouted nut butters, and vegetables. “The Michigan Economic Development Corp. did an apply-to-pitch for Meijer and we found out about the opportunity through our local chamber of commerce and got selected,” said co-founder Alaina Campbell, adding that this is the first grocery location at which their line will be available.
In addition to a smaller, easily shoppable format, the latest iteration of the Meijer shopping experience reflects the many ways that today’s customers buy. The store offers pickup and delivery, and shoppers can make transactions at the traditional checkstand, self-checkout areas or via Meijer’s Shop & Scan service on its mobile mPerks app.
As the stores become a new part of their respective communities, they are also giving back. The Lake Orion store made a $10,000 donation to the Woodside Bible Church’s Food Pantry and the Macomb Township location contributed to the Macomb Charitable Foundation.
The Lake Orion store is located at 1107 S. Lapeer Road. The Macomb Township store, run by store director Cynthia Griggs, is located at 15375 24 Mile Road. The inaugural Meijer Grocery stores will welcome their first shoppers at 6 a.m. on Jan. 26.
Privately owned Meijer operates more than 400 supercenters, neighborhood markets and Express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The company is No. 20 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
