GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In its latest innovation to provide a shopping solution for every customer, Meijer has introduced Meijer Grocery, a brick-and-mortar store concept and banner offering customers a convenient, simplified shopping experience while providing communities easier access to fresher food.

The first two Meijer Grocery stores will open early next year in neighborhoods within southeast Michigan’s Orion Township and Macomb Township.

The new concept is the retailer’s first since August 2018, when it introduced the neighborhood market small format with the opening of Bridge Street Market on Grand Rapids’ west side. The neighborhood-friendly concept features fresh and prepared food, fresh meat and bakery items, alongside Meijer and national brand selections.

The new midsize grocery store concept complements Meijer’s other brick-and-mortar formats, including its legacy supercenters.

While Meijer’s typical big-box store footprint covers around 200,000 square feet, the new market format stores will range in size from 75,000 square feet to 90,000 square feet and are designed to deliver a more personalized experience in an open environment.

Local sourcing is another feature of the new stores. A recent Meijer event with local vendors led to deals with more than 20 companies getting placements on the stores’ shelves.

“Our customers know they can count on us for the freshest foods and best value, which has always been at the core of what we do at Meijer,” notes president and chief executive officer Rick Keyes. “Meijer Grocery will now provide that same combination of freshness and value in a foods-focused format in your local community.”

The new stores include the following departments:

• Fresh produce.

• Fresh meat counter.

• Bakery equipped with in-store cake decorators.

• Full-service deli.

• Dry grocery.

• Pharmacy.

• Health and beauty care.

• Baby, pets and consumables.

“We’re excited to provide our customers with yet another way to shop,” said Don Sanderson, group vice president of foods at Meijer. “This new concept store will not only provide our customers with everything they need on their weekly shopping trip but also a quick and easy solution for when they realize they left the key ingredient off their list while cooking dinner.”

Privately owned Meijer operates more than 260 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Meijer Grocery will offer some of the convenient ways to shop and save that are found at a Meijer supercenter, including mPerks, Shop and Scan, Meijer Home Delivery and Pickup.

In addition to their smaller footprint, Meijer Grocery stores are designed for shopper convenience, with parking wrapped around a singular corner entrance to maximize the number of parking spaces near the door.

Even as it diversifies its brick-and-mortar formats, the company has been upgrading its home-delivery capabilities, an initiative that gained momentum in the pandemic. Since 2016, Meijer has offered home delivery and in-store pickup through an arrangement with Target Corp. subsidiary Shipt. Meijer has also partnered with Instacart on an expansion of its omnichannel platform, and last year it joined forces with DoorDash.