What Sets New Meijer's Stores Apart From The Regular Meijer's

For many of you, the word "Meijer" may not sound all that familiar. It may even sound like something from France or Germany, further adding to the unfamiliarity of the word. But if you're from the Midwestern parts of the United States, you've more than likely heard — and been in — and a Meijer store before.

Forbes describes Meijer as being a supercenter store that offers up everything from groceries to pharmaceutical needs to electronics help. It's not too dissimilar from the much more common superstore Walmart, although Meijer is exclusively in and around the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Although Walmart and Meijer are similar in how they operate, Meijer's original incarnation, Thrifty Acres, actually opened a few decades earlier than Walmart, making it the first "official" American superstore (via the Detroit Free Press). In fact, Meijer may actually be the inspiration behind Walmart to begin with.

The inside of a Meijer store also shares the same mix of similarities and contrasts with a Walmart store. But while both Walmart and Meijer offer an expansive interior separated into different departments, Meijer seeks a more "condensed" shopping experience that offers simpler ease of access to different goods and an easier, streamlined shopping experience (via Supermarket News).

Two of Meijer's newest stores have announced plans to open very soon in Orion Township and Macomb Township in southeast Michigan. Will these new stores outline the future plans for Meijer stores all across the Midwest?

What exactly does Meijer mean about an "easier way to shop"? While the chain did mention a renewed focus on simplicity and compacting the store into a much more efficient, customer-friendly shopping experience, how exactly could it do that? These two new Meijer stores are described as a "return to roots" for the company.

According to Meijer, the new Meijer stores will focus more on groceries than being an enormous all-in-one superstore, thus setting up only the essentials of grocery and home care as opposed to electronics or automotive assistance. Parking areas will "wrap" around a single corner entrance to ensure customers can park as close to the door as possible. Each store will be 75,000-90,000 square feet, a modest but still spacious area for customers to shop in. Products from Michigan companies and sources, such as Buddy's Pizza or Ann Arbor-based bakery Zingerman, will also be prominently featured in these new stores.

"At Meijer, our roots are in grocery and providing the highest quality experience when it comes to food and day-to-day necessities," the company tells The Takeout via an e-mail. "We know our customers appreciate the value and experience we offer in our stores, so we're excited to provide them the ability to shop Meijer in a grocery format that offers a convenient, condensed layout with exactly the products customers need for their weekly shopping trip."

The new Meijer stores are set to open on January 26, 2023.