Meijer

[tamias6]

Cascade Meijer Renovation Updates:

The most noticable update made to the Cascade Meijer is new Signage. As Veloise has pointed out, the Cascade Meijer is not just "Meijer" or "Meijer Fresh" anymore. It's now "Meijer at Cascade". New street side sign for the store itself and the accompanying gas station have been installed on the shafts of the old signage. Also new signage has replaced the old "Meijer fresh sign" on the store front's barn section. Like the new prototype taking shape inside, it is unclear rather or not Meijer will propagate the "Meijer at xyz" moniker though out the rest of the chain. Personally, I think its a good marketing ploy at a public relations level as it would give any Meijer store a better impression that it has been custom tailored to the needs of it surrounding community.

Before going to the next part of this update let me explain a few important notes.

First because of the signage changes I will refer to the Cascade Meijer store by its new name, "Meijer at Cascade". If other Meijer stores receive the "Meijer at xyz" moniker I will refer to those stores by their new signs as well. Secondly I will refer to the store prototype taking shape inside Meijer at Cascade as the "Meijer at xyz" prototype unless I catch wind of the prototypes official name such as "Signature Series" or "Village Square".

Anyway moving on...

The new fake building facade, added to a section of the store front between the retail entrance and the pharmacy drive-up window, looks to be nearly complete. Unlike the other fake building facades finished in various species of bricks, the new fake building facade is finished in stucco, less detailed and crowned by a simplified white cornice. However the design of the new fake facade is still tasteful and blends well with the other facades. It also gives the entire store front a more balanced look.

Next the new parapets added to the grocery and retail entrances are now completely roughed in. Both have a pressure treated plywood sub-straight and thus are ready to be covered in their final finish surfaces. The entrances themselves are receiving one additional modification. The mullions and spandrels, holding in place the glass curtain walls of the entries, are being refinished to a dark blue matching the dots of the new sign's "i" and "j".

Heading inside one will notice that the retail side of the store is nearly complete, organized, and looks absolutely stellar. However, the grocery section is in complete disarray due to construction happening just about everywhere. Aisles are laid out in just about every direction. Entire aisles lay empty while trying to find items was like beng taken out on a one way snipe hunt. Also the deli and bakery services and product offerings are non existent until the new bakery and deli are finished.

But despite the chaos, the grocery section is starting to shape up very nicely. First of all domestics and household cleaners are now arranged in their own department while the new soda pop section is materializing in the rear corner of the grocery section. Meanwhile a vast selection of high end tea and coffee products have made an appearance in its own little section located where dairy used to be. The new grocery aisles, 11 of them, have taken their final positions. Moving closer to the front one will noticed a new and much larger dairy dept has taken shape. Also further closer to the front, a massive new meat and seafoods dept. looks to be in the finishing stages. Last but not least, the old bakery and deli are now gone. While their exquisite looking replacements are fast taking shape just to the front of the frozen food aisles.

At the checkout lanes, the lane numbers have switched from red to blue while strange looking knee walls for what I assume to be indoor cart corrals are being built at each end of the checkout lanes.

Now for some Pictures of Meijer at Cascade as of today.

The street sign.

The fake building facades

The new fake building facade nearing completion

The retail Entrance

The service door graphed into one of the existing fake building facades.

The grocery Entrance

The new Store Sign

[suydam]

I don't entirely believe the verbage "Meijer at Cascade" is an attempt to sound more upscale.

At least not with the existing font/colors/sign on the Cascade store...they still look and feel like a discount supercenter (which is what Meijer is). On the photo of the sign on top of the store looks cheap (with the white backing) and the streetside lollipop sign still looks cheap to me too.

I'm wondering instead if it's more of an attempt to lend some local feeling to the stores....and to make them easier to discuss when locals are passing out shopping tips. Seems like I find myself saying things like "I was at the Knapp's Corner's Meijer and they had a great special on goldfish crackers" all the time. This just re-names their stores to support local vernacular...PLUS it makes them sound like they're actually in touch with the places they're building stores. "Kentucky Store #74" doesn't sound as good as "Meijer at Florence Corners" (or whatever it's called in Florence, KY).

Just my $0.02...I could be wrong.

Also, I don't disagree (at all) with the need to differentiate from Wal-Mart. Target has successfully achieved that distinction and profits because of it.

[tamias6]

^Agreed. The name change made to the Cascade store is more of a public relations thing to give the impression that the store has been custom tailored to that community's needs. Its a good move since supercenters and other big boxes have been perceived as homogenizing communities they build in. So anything to brake that presumption will only do Meijer good. As for the street sign, if this were my project, I would have taken down the lollipop style sign and replaced it with either a low garden type sign like the one at the Knapp Corner Meijer or a tower style sign like the one at the Standale Meijer as those signs have a higher end look.

[Rybak 187]

This site has webcams of two upcoming Meijer stores that are being built in Davison, MI and Urbana, IL.

[tamias6]

Looks neat. Just one note. The link to the Ubana, Ill store does not work.

This site has webcams of two upcoming Meijer stores that are being built in Davison, MI and Urbana, IL.

[Veloise]

M@C (the Cascade store) is almost done with its reno. WOW!!! The new eyebrow entranses have royal blue trim. Grocery is labeled "fresh" and the other one is marked "home." Inside there are bright display lights, polished floors, brand new deli (not much food in it yet), curved pathways, sparkle sparkle. Check it out. I haven't been there in more than a week, and if I had on socks today they would have been knocked off.

Will miss the manly construction workers "helping" customers push carts around.

[highwayguy]

M@C (the Cascade store) is almost done with its reno. WOW!!! The new eyebrow entranses have royal blue trim. Grocery is labeled "fresh" and the other one is marked "home." Inside there are bright display lights, polished floors, brand new deli (not much food in it yet), curved pathways, sparkle sparkle. Check it out. I haven't been there in more than a week, and if I had on socks today they would have been knocked off.

Will miss the manly construction workers "helping" customers push carts around.

I agree. (Well, except for the construction worker part.) I was there last night for the first time in about 1 1/2 weeks, and there has been a lot of progress. Most of the signage is up and most items seem to be in their final locations. Overall, very impressive!

[tamias6]

Sounds like things are really shaping up. I can't wait to get down there to check things out myself and snap off a few exterior photos.

Oh before I post. I've noticed a policy change in the way Meijer (at least the Alpine store) handles checks. When we handed a check over to the cashier, he had us sign the Point of Purchase terminal to authorized an instantaneous debit on our account. So remember kids, no more "playing the shop the night before payday" game. You write a check, presto, it acts like a debit card.

[tamias6]

Big Meijer Update:

Meijer has just completed a massive overhaul of its website. The biggest and most important feature to be added is online shopping. Most of the retail offerings found at Meijer's physical stores can now be purchased online. In short Meijer is now just a click away.

Personally I think this is a great move for Meijer as this will give folks outside the market reach of Meijer's chain of brick and mortar stores a chance to enjoy allot what Meijer has to offer.

[blueradon]

Grocery stores here in Raleigh will let you do all of your grocery shopping online and either have it ready at the front desk or they'll deliver it to you (at a charge of course)

Wonder if Meijer would get into this kind of market...would create a lot newer jobs if needed.

[Veloise]

M@C continues to tweak their presentation. Today there were constant tours of red-shirted staff with a blue shirt explaining each department. (Might have hired a bunch more people.)

Deli is filling up, with beautiful shiny containers in the cases and Post-it notes indicating what will be on each one.

Walk in the grocery, and straight back is a single-wide cashier to sell you your deli items. This is almost as good as a drive-up window (and allows for the infamous "fell into my cart" impluse purchasing). Right across from the deli area is a huge department of flowers, candy, greeting cards, and photo frames (you'd think there was a new hospital open nearby).

No signage on the aisle with International foods. I let a blue shirt know this at about 12:45 pm today.

The gas station has an oddball item: a "lighter leash." (And maybe it's supposed to hang on your bat belt and look cool.) I got one and am devising a way to attach it to my flash drive, which seems to find a new home almost as soon as I upload important files to it. With the decreasing popularity of smoking, the manufacturer ought to re-brand it for the techie purpose. (And then it would sell for much more than $1.99.)

[tamias6]

I took a trip to Meijer @ Cascade today. To begin with. This is not your mom and dad's Meijer store. Its way beyond that and in a class of store by itself. But the strongest point of M@C is the grocery section or "Meijer Fresh" as it is now labeled. The selection is vast and comprehensive. In addition to the staples found at any Meijer store, one will find an endless array of brands and items not found at any other Meijer store. For example there is an entire section dedicated to specialty teas and coffees. Soft drinks take up the back corner of the store. Cost Plus World's Market can't even touch the huge selection of specialty beers, wines, and liquors. Speaking of which. I couldn't pass these up. LOL...

I don't drink personally. But I have a family member that likes specialty beers and ales and will get a kick out of these.

Everything about the grocery section blows away all the other Meijer stores esp. the new deli, bakery and meat departments. The seafood counter is absolutely amazing. I've seen whole cat fish and 2 massive 20 lbs. whole Atantic Salmon on display. They even had these weird looking pink colored fish with orange stripes on there sides. We walked away with two lbs. of salmon though. Over in the new Deli, I loved the product presentation complements of some very sleek looking and well lit display cases. Parts of the bakery were not stocked yet. But Meijer made sure to have the cakes and pastries on display. What a mouth watering sight. In between the bakery and deli is an area featuring ready made meals that has its own checkout lane for those that want to grab and go. Oh yeah, that particular checkout lane features Chorion counter tops as well as the Pharmacy counters and the "Meijer central" desk located at the center of the sales floor. I dare anybody to find that in a Wal-Mart store or even inside a Target.

I could go on about this for the rest of my life . But I'll cut this short. I must say that M@C is a perfect example of what happens when Meijer pulls out all of its stops. After shopping there today, I wish M@C's new look was the prototype that Meijer should have opted for in the first place back in 2003. Not that there is anything wrong with the David Rockwell prototype. But M@C is many steps beyond that and gives Meijer a very high end look that is on the same playing field as places like Whole Foods, or Farmer Jacks. Only one gets allot of the high end touches offer by those places at Meijer prices.

On to some exterior shots.

"Meijer Fresh" a.k.a the grocery entrance

"Meijer Home" a.k.a the retail entrance

The new fake building facade making the location of the Pharmacy and its drive-up window.

[Veloise]

...

I could go on about this for the rest of my life . But I'll cut this short.

Aw, Tam, I am disappointed.

The new fake building facade making the location of the Pharmacy and its drive-up window.

We should start calling that a "faux-cade."

[tamias6]

There is one thing I can add and should have mentioned earlier. That's adjacencies, a retail design technique that places like items or departments next to each other to make the shopping experience easier and more convenient. The Rockwell Prototype illustrates this in grouping the pet supplies, baby foods, and kids clothing together next to the grocery section. The M@C takes adjacencies all the way down to the individual product level. A very cleaver example of this can be found in the breakfast food aisle. In other Meijer stores, hot and cold cereals along with pancake mixes and syrups are found together in the breakfast aisle. M@C does this as well but adds a cooler containing eggs, bacon and and sausage so one does not have to go all the way to the dairy and the meat departments to get ones breakfast needs.

[Rybak 187]

I wish M@C's new look was the prototype that Meijer should have opted for in the first place back in 2003.

I think that when they started working on the Rockwell prototype the Meijer family knew that they had to something to change their stores to a more modern format or they would not make it, and they thought that they had to go with some one who was outside of the company to do it. This new prototype, I wouldn't be suprised to hear, probably comes from inside of the company seeing that they have not made a grand announcement of the prototype like they did with the Rockwell prototype.

Or, I could be totally wrong. The Meijer store I shop at up here in Hampton Township outside Bay City almost is like a hybrid Rockwell format. The store was built in year 2000.

This is the front of it:

It is the Village format that they had before the Rockwell format, but when you go inside it is very similar to the Rockwell format.

Here is a quick rendition from memory of the store:

[tamias6]

^^ Wow! That layout is a bit strange. The greeting cards being located between the grocery section and frozen foods is something I have not seen in any other Meijer store. I do see some similarities to the Knapp Corner store along the rear of the sales floor. Also HBC and the pharmacy is in the right spot for the Rockwell format along with most of the grocery section. Other than that, the layout is very unique.

[Rybak 187]

Yes, I have thought of it as a hybrid of the two different formats.

[Rybak 187]

This article talks about a potential new store in South Lyon.

[andrew.w]

^^ Wow! That layout is a bit strange. The greeting cards being located between the grocery section and frozen foods is something I have not seen in any other Meijer store. I do see some similarities to the Knapp Corner store along the rear of the sales floor. Also HBC and the pharmacy is in the right spot for the Rockwell format along with most of the grocery section. Other than that, the layout is very unique.

The store Meijer in Ludington, MI (alos built in 2000) is exactly identical to the one in Bay City, both inside and out. I wasn't aware that any of the village format stores had the same set of retail entrance facades.

Also like the one in Bay City, I wish our Meijer would plant some trees in the parking lot or something. Between the sea of parking lot and the bland-colored building, everything looks so barren.

[tamias6]

Activities at the Standale Meijer:

The Standale store has removed the parking island trees, and is currently refilling the parking islands with new topsoil and mulch. I have no idea why as the trees looked perfectly fine to me. Also the large parcel of land behind the store is receiving some grading work. Lastly a semi truck with a load of 16-20 concrete panels was parked on the service drive behind the store. I assume that the concrete panels are for the strip mall being built next to Walgreen's though. Next time I go to that store I'll bring my camera along for some pictures.

[Rybak 187]

I stopped at the gas station at the Meijer on Tittabawassee in Saginaw today and heard that they will close on Sunday be torn down and get a new gas station built from the ground up. They said that they will down by December which seems quick to me, but it is only a gas station not a big Meijer store.

Edited October 2, 2007 by Rybak 187

[Veloise]

M@C has some more goodies up their collective sleeves. The grocery entrance, where you can do a dash-in pit stop for deli food (with the solo cash register all by itself there)? It also is developing a hot sandwich counter. Labeled "Fresh Thinking." Has a grill and a lot of gleaming counter space. Since it's an island, and not contiguous to the deli offerings, it'll be interesting to see how they prep the orders. (Throw it across, like at the Seattle Market?)

There's still no chow in many of the bakery cases, but the prepared foods are up and running...and one of the offerings is yummy sandwiches...with hot bite-sized samples on toothpicks atop the counter. (This was during weeknight rush hour, should any readers care to investigate.) Tonight they had two different kinds, along with some trail mix. An endcap with a sample of juice, and there's dinner.

Headed towards cleaning products in the back, I came across two suits (not blue golf shirts, suits) taking snapshots of signage and things. Should have told them that Meijer does not allow photography. Instead I said gee, you oughta spruce up this place some. It's so dark and dingy. One of them laughed, said, "thanks, I had not heard that one before."

[tamias6]

Pictures of what's going on at the Standale Meijer as promised.

A parking lot tree island striped of top soil and mulch

A parking tree island that has received new top soil and mulch-- Notice a new metal cylinder embedded into the spot where a tree used to be.

Some shots of the large parcel of land behind the store getting worked on--This is what sparked my curiosity.

Some trees being cleared at the south end of the the same parcel of land--In the foreground the land has already been leveled.

Lastly a shot of the new strip Mall being built on a Meijer outlot next to Walgreens.--The perimeter parts of the foundation are complete.

[pcdoctor]

Alpine Meijer Updates:

In the grocery section of Aisle 5 near the main grocery concourse, one would find like a beige/green tile on the floor. It may have been there for sometime, but I just noticed it today. Also last week I was there, some tiles in the produce section were stripped due to damage. I don't know if those are fixed yet or not.

[Rybak 187]

Here is another new Meijer store:

Meijer plans Solon Township store in 2008 or '09

Posted by Susie Fair {sodEmoji.|} The Grand Rapids Press October 04, 2007 07:30AM

Categories: Breaking NewsSOLON TOWNSHIP -- Northern Kent County residents could have a new place to shop in a little more than a year, with the latest new Meijer proposed for just west of Cedar Springs.The Walker-based retailer is expected to unveil plans for a 157,000-square-foot store before the township Planning Commission Oct. 16, according to company spokeswoman Stacie Behler.The store would be seven miles north of the next closest Meijer, in Rockford.Behler said Meijer purchased five or six years ago a 27-acre parcel on the south side of 17 Mile Road, just west of U.S. 131, in anticipation of growth that would warrant a new store."With all the necessary township approvals, we could be breaking ground in early 2008 and possibly open in 2009," she said.Solon Township Supervisor Bob Ellick said Meijer has deposited $5,000 into an escrow account to cover legal and engineering expenses during the preliminary phases of the project."The fact that they more than doubled the minimum escrow we typically require shows us they're serious about building here," Ellick said. The prospect of a Meijer on the outskirts of Cedar Springs has spurred interest from residents who currently drive to Rockford, Greenville or Grand Rapids to shop a Meijer.

Definitely sounds like Meijer is trying to saturate the Grand Rapids market in my opinion.