3 replies to this topic

[Rybak 187]

I heard that 5-10 years ago that Meijer was planning to move into northeast Ohio. What cities were they going into? Are there any rumors of them coming still? Why did they cancel their plans? Did they run into community opposition?

[DaltonGA]

Northeast Ohio has been a difficult market to crack. The grocers are heavily unionized and many storng local operations exist-Heinen's, Acme, Buehler's to name a few. Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle is left as the dominant chain with the folding of Tops(once locally operated as Pick N Pay, then part of Finast/Edwards from the East). Even Cincinnati-based Kroger, dominant in most of the remainder of Ohio, gave up in the early 80's after years of labor disputes and declining market share.

Wal-Mart is really only beginning to increase its presence in the region, as has few Supercenters which carry full-line groceries like Meijer. I think Northeast Ohioans would appreciate a well run competitor like Meijer, but the company seems to be focusing on fending off Wal-Mart on its home turf in Michigan and expanding in Chicago, Louisville, and Cincinnati these days. I don't think NE OH is off their map, they have just steered a different course for the time being.

[goofy328]

Rybak 187, on Sep 2 2007, 01:27 AM, said:

I heard that 5-10 years ago that Meijer was planning to move into northeast Ohio. What cities were they going into? Are there any rumors of them coming still? Why did they cancel their plans? Did they run into community opposition?

I like Meijer, but I wouldn't hold my breath either.

[Cyburbia]

Meijer supposedly had options on several sites in the Cleveland area.  The large, long-vacant commercial parcel at OH 2 and Lost Nation Road in Willoughby was supposedly a Meijer site.

Wegmans was supposedly looking at expanding to the Cleveland area several years ago, but their expansion strategy changed, and they're not concentrating on the southern Northeast Corridor; specifically DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and suburban New Jersey.