Story posted Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Meijer Set To Open By Early Next Year
The new Meijer store under construction on Golf Road west of Greenwood Avenue in Niles will open sometime in January or February, according to a company spokesman.
"Things are on schedule," said Director of Public Relations Frank Guglielmi, who visited the site last week. "The store looks great."
Meijer, a supercenter chain similar to Wal-Mart, is based in Grand Rapids, Mich. The company operates 189 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky.
Guglielmi said the company could have pushed to open the location in time for the holidays but declined because it's difficult enough to open a store without worrying about the shopping season.
Progress at the site continues as the construction phase is nearly complete and Meijer will soon be stocking the store. The company has begun hiring 150 to 200 employees.
Once it opens, the Niles location will join 11 other Meijer stores in the Chicagoland area. However, this store will not be like others in the region.
In fact, Meijer hasn't built a store like this since the 1960s. At 102,000 sq. ft., the Niles location is roughly half the size of most Meijer stores.
"It's actually the first non-supercenter that we've built since we became a supercenter company years ago," Guglielmi said.
Instead, this Meijer will focus on groceries — though there will be a pharmacy and a health and beauty section as well.
Guglielmi said the decision to go with a new store format was made because the area is too densely populated for a Meijer supercenter store.
By moving toward a traditional grocery store Meijer is able to bring its brand into a new community.
Part of entering that new community is taking into consideration local tastes. Guglielmi said the company is working to offer specialized foods in addition to mainstream groceries.
"It's such a melting pot in the community, there's more diverse tastes to cater to," he said.
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