March 02--Meijer will invest $400 million in renovations and new stores, including opening locations in Flossmoor and Round Lake Beach, the retailer said Wednesday.
The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer said it will build nine new stores and remodel 32 additional stores. Stores will be added in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin, and the remodels will focus on "key markets" such as Detroit, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind., the company said in a statement. At least 12 of the remodels will be in southeastern Michigan. Many of the Chicago-area stores opened in the past five years or so, according to spokesman Frank Guglielmi, and aren't in need of renovations.
Meijer predicts the addition of 300-plus full- and part-time jobs in each new store. "We are pleased to continue to grow and invest in the Midwest communities that have supported us for so long," said CEO Hank Meijer in a statement. "We will continue our process of slow, steady growth," he said.
Meijer operates 224 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
crshropshire@tribpub.com
