Meijer’s Expansion Includes Pharmacy Upgrades
Meijer will improve and expand pharmacies across its new and remodeled stores.
The pharmacies in Meijer stores will get an overhaul in the retailer’s planned $375 million investment in new and remodeled stores this year. The Grand Rapids, MI-based chain of more than 220 stores will build seven new Meijer supercenters and remodel 22 stores.
The new supercenters and remodeled stores will include improvements to the pharmacies, which will vary from store to store, Meijer Spokesman Joe Hirschmugl told Drug Topics. “Some improvements will include adding drive-up windows, adding consultation rooms, and expanding pick-up counter areas.”
“These projects represent an investment in our customers, team members and the local communities that have supported us for so long,” said Rick Keyes, president and CEO in a company statement. “We’re also excited that, at long last, we’ll cross the bridge and open our first stores in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
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Meijer is aggressively remodeling stores in five different states, including key markets such as Detroit, Cincinnati, Louisville, and suburban Chicago. Six Meijer supercenters in Michigan will be renovated, with the stores in Mt. Pleasant, Commerce Township and Algoma Township slated for major remodels, according to the retailer.
By the end of 2017, Meijer will have remodeled and upgraded nearly 90 stores since 2010. Improvements in remodeled stores will include better store layouts, expanded grocery and health and beauty sections, along with upgrades to lighting, heating, refrigeration, and parking lots. “Additionally, the introduction of newer technology in key areas during the remodel process will result in more energy-efficient stores,” Meijer said in the statement.
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Meijer will also open new supercenters in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin later this year.
New Meijer supercenters opening in 2017 include: Escanaba, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; McCordsville, IN; Franklin, IN; Greenfield, WI; Howard, WI; and West Bend, WI.
By the end of this year, Meijer will have opened more than 50 new stores since 2010. Each new Meijer store represents as many as 300 full- and part-time jobs.
