GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer Inc. has broken ground on a second supercenter in Detroit, at the site of the former Redford High School on the city’s west side. Construction is expected to take about a year.

Meijer Inc. has broken ground on a second supercenter in Detroit, at the site of the former Redford High School on the city’s west side. Construction is expected to take about a year.

Like other Meijer outlets, the store will sell groceries and general merchandise. It also will have a garden center, a gas station and a Meijer pharmacy that provides clinical services and immunizations to promote family health.

The ground breaking comes about a year after a $20 million Meijer supercenter opened as the anchor tenant in the Gateway Marketplace, a $72 million retail center at the juncture of Eight Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. That project had lagged for a decade as several big-box retailers told the project’s developer they weren’t interested.

For Meijer, though, the project is off to a promising start. "The opening of our store in the city of Detroit last summer marked a significant milestone in our company history, and the beginning of a promise to be a part of this community long into the future," Hank Meijer, the company’s co-chairman, said. "We could not be more pleased with its success, and look forward to opening another supercenter here in Detroit."

Meijer expects to hire about 500 employees to run the new store, and said 6% of annual net profit will be turned over to charitable organizations, including food banks.