Meijer to open smaller-format stores

After announcing plans to open a nearly 40,000 square-foot store in Grand Rapids Michigan, grocer Meijer announced a second location in Detroit slated to open in 2019. Mike Kinstle, Meijer’s vice president of real estate, told mLive that construction would also begin on a yet-to-be announced third location, with three other stores in development opening by 2021.

The grocery retailer has reportedly identified locations in the six states that it operates within. “It’s a proof of concept so we’ll get a few open and see how they do,” said Kinstle. “That will determine how aggressively we want to open future ones after that,” he said.

Ultimately, we hope this is successful enough where it can go all the places where we can’t get in and build a supercenter,” said Kinstle. “We want this to be a complement to the supercenter format,” he added.

The stores will be devoted to fresh foods and locally sourced products along with a staple of Meijer branded products. Stores will not be branded as Meijer but will instead reflect the names of the neighborhoods they serve.