Meijer

[concretepoem]

The November 27th issue of Forbes, which came in the mail today, lists America's Largest Private companies.

For the second year in a row Meijer is #10, right behind Betchel.

Forbes lists estimated revenues in 2005 of 13.2 Billion, up 5.6%. 65,000 employees.

Other locals:

Alticor just misses the Top 25, slipping to 27th with 7.2B in revenue, up 13.9%.

Dropping out of the Top 50 is Gordon Food Service, which was 49th last year and 62nd this year, although revenue was up 8% at 3.9Billion. Forbes says GFS employs 7050.

Haworth was at 272, off slightly compared to last year, but again 2005 evenues were estimated to be up 11%. 7,500 employees.

[egrguy]

Wow, that's great to see all of the local companies doing so well. I think Meijer will maintain that 10-spot if not even start to climb with their more aggressive expansion plans.

[tamias6]

The fact that Meijer is a privately owned company does have its advantages. It means that they don't have to keep weary investors content. That affords Meijer the ability to make huge gambles. The latest format change from what they had before to the store format Rockwell Group designed and is executing for the company is a bold risk. Their current plan to expand despite the stiffling presence of the juggernaut that is Wal-Mart is a brave and very daring step. The fact that Meijer pioneered one stop shopping back in the 60's with the opening of the 28th and K'zoo store was the biggest leap of faith any company of their size at the time could have ever taken. If Meijer were a publicly owned company I don't think it would be half the business that it is today. To be honest many grocery and retail chains should take a good look at Meijer for inspiration and to model themselves after. Doing so would allow them to better compete against monsters like Wal-Mart.

Edited November 14, 2006 by tamias6

[robb1957]

The fact that Meijer is a privately owned company does have its advantages. It means that they don't have to keep weary investors content. That affords Meijer the ability to make huge gambles. The latest format change from what they had before to the store format Rockwell Group designed and is executing for the company is a bold risk. Their current plan to expand despite the stiffling presence of the juggernaut that is Wal-Mart is a brave and very daring step. The fact that Meijer pioneered one stop shopping back in the 60's with the opening of the 28th and K'zoo store was the biggest leap of faith any company of their size at the time could have ever taken. If Meijer were a publicly owned company I don't think it would be half the business that it is today. To be honest many grocery and retail chains should take a good look at Meijer for inspiration and to model themselves after. Doing so would allow them to better compete against monsters like Wal-Mart.

Hi all, thought I would jump in the Meijer fray a bit. Meijer has quietly bought up all of the houses along Walker avenue accross from their HQ except for one holdout in the middle. They own property now from Holton drive to 3 mile. Do you think they would build a new store across from the HQ ebven though it is close to Alpine? Or do you think they would buy it up for future development of offices? It was interesting that they bought all of them secretly through an LLC owned by a Kalamazoo realtor and not direct. Interesting eh?

[grrwymg]

Hi all, thought I would jump in the Meijer fray a bit. Meijer has quietly bought up all of the houses along Walker avenue accross from their HQ except for one holdout in the middle. They own property now from Holton drive to 3 mile. Do you think they would build a new store across from the HQ ebven though it is close to Alpine? Or do you think they would buy it up for future development of offices? It was interesting that they bought all of them secretly through an LLC owned by a Kalamazoo realtor and not direct. Interesting eh?

Quite interesting. I wonder how far back the lots go back from Walker Ave? I know there's a pretty big industrial park back there.

[robb1957]

Quite interesting. I wonder how far back the lots go back from Walker Ave? I know there's a pretty big industrial park back there.

When I looked at the aerials they go back all the wasy to that industrial park. So they may be thinking of future distribution, but I think the master plan in Walker calls for commercial in that district. I heard they bullied the old lady that lives in the holdout house pretty bad. Not Meijer, but the realtor.

[Rizzo]

This is interesting talk you have going.

Area in question:

[AlexPKeaton]

I work back in said industrial park. Meijer already has a distribution center south of their HQ on Walker Ave. And though they're growing, I've talked to a few people that used to work there who have said they trimmed their workforce significantly a few years ago and streamlined some operations, so I'd be surprised if they need more office space. I would consider a store a possibility in the future as the Orchard Park development will be right across I-96. They already have a Meijer gas station there, but no store, how strange is that?

-nb

[tamias6]

Even with the Orchard Park Development it would be strange to see a Meijer store at this location mainly because the Alpine store, under heavy renovation at this time, is just under two miles away while the Standale Meijer is only four and a half miles to the south west. Supercenters like Meijer and Wal-Mart as well as other big boxes have a market coverage of seven to ten miles in radius depending on demographics. But Meijer has done a strange thing when they located the Rivertown Crossings store only 3 miles from the Jenison store. But Both stores are always busy though. Of course Meijer maybe intentionally attempting to over saturate the market in attempt to stop the Wal-Mart Supercenter stores from making any further in roads in the GR area other than the one to be constructed on Alpine Ave.

I work back in said industrial park. Meijer already has a distribution center south of their HQ on Walker Ave. And though they're growing, I've talked to a few people that used to work there who have said they trimmed their workforce significantly a few years ago and streamlined some operations, so I'd be surprised if they need more office space. I would consider a store a possibility in the future as the Orchard Park development will be right across I-96. They already have a Meijer gas station there, but no store, how strange is that?

-nb

[tamias6]

Just one more thought about the land across from the Meijer HQ. The plans to renovate the Alpine Ave. store was tabled 6 times over the time span of several years as the corporate heads were indecisive as to renovate the store or build a new replacment somwhere else. They could have purchased the land across from the HQ thinking they would replace the Alpine store with one located on this land.

Edited November 16, 2006 by tamias6

[beergeek]

Or could it just be that they don't want WalMart/Target/Coscto, etc buying the land right from under them, so to speak? How sad it would be to see a Super WalMart right next to Meijer Corporate HQ!

[GRDadof3]

Or could it just be that they don't want WalMart/Target/Coscto, etc buying the land right from under them, so to speak? How sad it would be to see a Super WalMart right next to Meijer Corporate HQ!

That's what I'm thinking beergeek. With Orchard Park going in across the highway, Walker Ave may very well turn into something like the Novi exit off of I-96, and Meijer just wants to control the destiny of that land across the street from their HQ. Much like they've been able to control the development near their new Rockford store by given exclusive water rights.

I don't think that land is big enough for a Meijer store, and according to Regis, there are no more holdouts.

[Veloise]

Even with the Orchard Park Development it would be strange to see a Meijer store at this location mainly because the Alpine store, under heavy renovation at this time, is just under two miles away while the Standale Meijer is only four and a half miles to the south west. Supercenters like Meijer and Wal-Mart as well as other big boxes have a market coverage of seven to ten miles in radius depending on demographics. But Meijer has done a strange thing when they located the Rivertown Crossings store only 3 miles from the Jenison store. But Both stores are always busy though. Of course Meijer maybe intentionally attempting to over saturate the market in attempt to stop the Wal-Mart Supercenter stores from making any further in roads in the GR area other than the one to be constructed on Alpine Ave.

Look at the A2 market. Fred is at Carpenter & Pittsfield, nowhere near a freeway exit, about a mile north of US-12. And A2-Saline at I-94, and Jackson at Zeeb just south of I-94. That's three stores in about 8 miles.

Edit: Google is my friend. So is Fred.

Edited November 16, 2006 by Veloise

[robb1957]

That's what I'm thinking beergeek. With Orchard Park going in across the highway, Walker Ave may very well turn into something like the Novi exit off of I-96, and Meijer just wants to control the destiny of that land across the street from their HQ. Much like they've been able to control the development near their new Rockford store by given exclusive water rights.

I don't think that land is big enough for a Meijer store, and according to Regis, there are no more holdouts.

Regus is wrong. 2930 is owned by Esther Ruth trust. She is the holdout smack dab in da middle.. Check access kent.

[twoshort]

Regus is wrong. 2930 is owned by Esther Ruth trust. She is the holdout smack dab in da middle.. Check access kent.

Walker records also show that the Esther Ruth trust still owns the home.

Its amazing to look at the prices they paid for the lots.. one person got like 170k, a bunch got around 250k and one person got $372k .

[GRDadof3]

Regus is wrong. 2930 is owned by Esther Ruth trust. She is the holdout smack dab in da middle.. Check access kent.

Oh yeah, you're right robb1957. Regis does show 2930 Walker Ave as both the actual address and the mailing address. Regis is right, I was wrong. All the rest show 2929 Walker as the mailing address.

[snoogit]

Or could it just be that they don't want WalMart/Target/Coscto, etc buying the land right from under them, so to speak? How sad it would be to see a Super WalMart right next to Meijer Corporate HQ!

That sounds exactly like what Meijer would do. They've got a lot of land out there just sitting on it because they want to control who and what comes in there.

[Veloise]

That sounds exactly like what Meijer would do. They've got a lot of land out there just sitting on it because they want to control who and what comes in there.

Land assembly is an important part of any project wider than a city lot.

[Raildudes dad]

That sounds exactly like what Meijer would do. They've got a lot of land out there just sitting on it because they want to control who and what comes in there.

The story went around that J&H Oil was going to put the C-store in at Walker Ave. & I-96. Supposedly someone at the "House of Fred" across the street wasn't very happy that their employees would be passing an non-Meijers station and made it worth J&H's while to convert it to a Meijers station. You will note it's the only one not connected with a store or a Wendy's.

[GRDadof3]

Speaking of Meijer

[Veloise]

Here's the facade in Anderson, Ind. This store has been in place probably ten years.

[egrguy]

Wow, that is a fortress, that thing is brutal looking. Veloise, do you know if they built that one from scratch or took over another building?

[tamias6]

I've been to a Meijer store just like this one on US 31 on the north side of Indianapolis. I think this format dates around the same time as what I call the Dutch themed Meijer store, the Knapp corner Meijer being one of the latest examples. Inside, these stores look very much like the Knapp Corner store and, ranging from anywhere between 225,000 sq. ft. to 250,000 sq. ft., are the size size as Knapp Corner. The difference is that unlike the Knapp Corner location, this Meijer store and those like it have a much smaller caffee located in the yellow cylinder shaped appendage (if memory serves me correctly). What I like most about this format and the Dutch format Meijer stores is the large green colored glass curtain wall located in front of the store above the in-store tenents as it allowed in a massive amount of natural light which added to the spacious feel of these stores. Infact this is one of the few features I wish Meijer retained into the "Rockwell Group" format. Stores like this one and the Dutch Meijer where superceded by a format Meijer corporate heads called "Store of the Future" which is more jokingly called the "Village" Meijer to which the 28th street/ Cascade store was the prototype of before its interior was renovated into one of the two prototypes of the "Rockwell Group" format.

Here's the facade in Anderson, Ind. This store has been in place probably ten years.

[Veloise]

Wow, that is a fortress, that thing is brutal looking. Veloise, do you know if they built that one from scratch or took over another building?

It was a raw land build. The "corncob" is the dining area, and the brown squares are interesting bas relief tiles.

[egrguy]

Meijer donation to troops not so silly

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ss....xml&coll=6

I thought this was pretty cool, who would've ever realized that silly string would've ever been so useful?