Fareway Upgrades Continue in Iowa
Fareway Stores Inc. is on the move again, if not very far. This time, the Midwest grocer is moving across the street in Eldora, Iowa.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 13 to mark the start of construction of a site at 1325 Edgington Avenue in that town in central Iowa. Currently, Fareway operates a store at 1232 13th Street.
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According to the retailer, the new site should open by the end of the year. The store will span 11,000 square feet and is designed for the needs of today’s shoppers. In addition to Fareway’s signature full-service butcher counter and meat section, the outpost will offer farm-fresh produce and array of everyday essentials. Service features include grocery carryout, self-checkout and online shopping and curbside pickup.
“Fareway has served Eldora and neighboring communities since 1988 and we are excited to provide a new store to continue to best serve our customers,” said CEO Reynolds W. Cramer. “We look forward to serving area residents and want to thank city staff and community leaders for helping make this project possible.”
Local officials welcomed the upgrade. “We are excited to improve the shopping experience of our community members with a new Fareway store,” remarked Carey Callaway, Eldora’s mayor pro tem. “Our city council, city staff, and citizens have been supporters of Fareway since its opening and are excited to see Fareway’s commitment flourish in Eldora and the surrounding communities.”
In other news, Fareway announced this week that it is adding a new purchase process for lottery tickets in its stores. Through the Easy Pay feature, shoppers can buy Powerball and Mega Millions tickets right at the checkout lane at select Fareway stores in Iowa. Tickets are printed at the cash register on the same paper as store receipts but separate from grocery transaction information. The Iowa Lottery reported that the Easy Pay technology has been years in the making.
“We are excited to partner with the Iowa Lottery to be the first retailer in the state to provide customers with the convenience of Easy Play,” declared Mike McCormick, chief retail officer at Fareway. “Fareway, the customer experience is a top priority and adding Easy Play will elevate that experience for our lottery playing customers.”
Family-owned Fareway Stores Inc. employs more than 13,000 associates at its approximately 140 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. The company is No. 87 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
