Meijer Grocery store concept makes its debut

Meijer opened its first two Meijer Grocery stores in Lake Orion and Macomb Township today, offering Metro Detroit customers a new way to shop the Michigan retailer known for pioneering the one-stop shopping concept.

"As a company, we've opened more than 500 supercenters, neighborhood markets and Meijer Express locations, and that feeling of excitement and anticipation as you welcome customers in for the first time never gets old," Executive Chairman Hank Meijer said. "But opening the doors of these stores feels particularly special because of the unique need they'll fulfill in our customers' everyday lives."

Meijer Grocery is a new type of Meijer store focused on providing a streamlined shopping experience for day-to-day needs. The Meijer Grocery stores feature unique design elements that enhance the shopping experience in terms of both aesthetics and convenience and the format's size allows Meijer to serve customers in more locations than was possible with only the larger supercenter layout.

[Read more: Meijer reflects on evolution of its supercenters]

The stores' condensed footprints of 75,000-90,000 square feet offer the food-focused shopping experience the retailer is known for alongside all the most essential categories a customer might need for a quick trip or weekly restock, including:

• Fresh produce and grocery;
• In-store meat cutters;
• Bakery equipped with in-store cake decorators;
• Full-service deli;
• In-store and drive-thru pharmacy;
• Health & beauty care;
• Baby, pets and household essentials; and
• Card & party and floral

Additionally, the stores will feature many of the same convenient, customer-centric solutions Meijer supercenter shoppers have come to count on. For example, both stores feature three checkout methods – staffed lanes, self-checkout and Shop & Scan – to suit every customer's preference. Meijer Grocery stores also have wide aisles for quick navigation and rear-access coolers that allow team members to refill refrigerated items without crowding the sales floor. Meijer customers also can shop the new stores using the familiar saving and shopping technology they use at the supercenters, including mPerks, Meijer Home Delivery and Pickup.

Meijer Grocery stores also focus on providing an inclusive shopping experience. Each store has a family restroom, equipped with an adult-changing table – a feature also available in several of the retailer's supercenters – for the added convenience and dignity of customers with disabilities and their caregivers. As in all Meijer stores, both Meijer Grocery locations offer free access to Aira, an app-based service that provides live navigation assistance to blind and low-vision customers using the camera of their smartphones.

"We look forward to seeing these new stores further our mission of enriching lives in the communities we serve, not just by offering convenient shopping solutions and positive economic impact, but also as strong and active community partners," Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. "When we plan a new store, our relationship with that community begins long before the doors open, and strengthens as we grow."

Each Meijer Grocery store donated $10,000 to a local nonprofit last week – the Lake Orion store donated to The Village Food Pantry at Woodside Bible Church and the Macomb location supported the Macomb Charitable Foundation. Both expect to make an additional $15,000 in donations in the coming weeks in celebration of their openings.

[Read more: Meijer opens small-format Rivertown Market in Detroit]

With the addition of the two new stores, Meijer expands its support of local food pantries through its Simply Give hunger relief program. The program encourages customers to purchase a $10 Simply Give donation card upon checkout. Once purchased, the donation is converted into a Meijer food-only gift card and donated directly to the local food pantry selected by the store. The Lake Orion store is partnering with Woodside Bible Church's Village Food Pantry, while the Macomb Township location will work with Lakepointe Pantry. Meijer will double match all Simply Give card purchases on Saturday, March 4 and Saturday, March 25, effectively tripling customer contributions on those days.