Meijer opens three, refines village format: Signature Series stores feature barnyard facade, new departments - Meijer Inc - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, June 24, 2002 by Mike Duff, Laura Heller

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. -- In a grand opening effort May 21 that included the ribbon cutting on a replacement unit, Meijer added three new supercenters, boosted its store count to 156 and further refined its village format.

The new locations were opened in Columbus, Ohio, and McHenry and Bolingbrook, Ill., and all follow the company's recently established village format, though the exterior is updated, said spokesman John Zimmerman. The company also has steered away from the more massive, high-ceiling design of some earlier village format units.

Take, for example, the new Bolingbrook location. The new 190,000-square-foot store has a facade that mimics a small-town shop at one entrance, another that looks like a barn entrance and other entryways that look like agricultural outbuildings. Other village format stores have the outward appear of a mini-village. "The facade is distinctive," Zimmerman said.

The 193,000-square-foot replacement store, located in Madison Heights, Mich., is a slightly different layout, but is close to the village format. Dubbed the Signature Series, it is the first new Meijer store in southeast Michigan since 1999. It replaces a unit in nearby Sterling Heights, Mich., and shoppers who make the switch will notice several differences between the new and old locations. Key departments, such as produce and pharmacy, been moved up to the front. In addition, pharmacy features a drive-through window, while a new home decor department combines furniture, home fashions and small appliances.

Another new feature of Meijer's stores is the Pet Connections department at the rear of grocery. Along with pet food and supplies, the section sells a selection of small animals.

New village format stores share Meijer's latest innovations, but the key to the format is the individualized departments that give the village quality to the store's interior design. A store tour of the Bolingbrook supercenter provided a chance for a few observations:

* The barn front is offbeat, but the area surrounding the store--a very newly razed suburb-in-waiting southwest of Chicago--definitely borders on the rural. Another, older village format store is located just a couple miles away. Both were pretty busy on the first nice Saturday in June.

* Bolingbrook offered a less imposing shopping environment than some of Meijer's more massive locations. Selection was vast and fresh foods a real focus. Seating for prepared food located in front of the Fresh Market and Salad Station was more limited than some other Meijer units and.

* Aisles were lower, very wide and much more maneuverable than is the case with other supercenters and grocery stores. The grocery department felt more like a supermarket.

* Shelves in dry grocery weren't packed as high as other formats, and the ambience was more akin to a supermarket than a warehouse club. Some aisles use black shelving, others white, making the merchandise really pop.

* The pet section was expanded and better positioned adjacent to grocery. The live animal selection included small rodents, birds and fish.

* Cookware was placed on butcher block islands.