Meijer Confirms Twin Cities Expansion

Putting months of speculation to rest, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer Inc. has confirmed its recent purchase of property in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. 

The superstore retailer has bought up 30 acres of land from Minnetonka, Minn.-based commercial real estate firm Opus Corp., near the intersection of Highway 610 and Zane Avenue in the suburb of Brooklyn Park.

Although the land purchase is a done deal, Frank Guglielmi, Meijer's senior director of communications, told The Grand Rapids Press that "it's very early in the process and we currently have no set timeline for entering the Minneapolis market."

In addition to Brooklyn Park, Meijer has also shown interest in the areas of Lakeville, Vadnais Heights and Lake Elmo, according to reports.

Co-CEO Hank Meijer hinted at the move in January of last year during the grand opening of the company's first Wisconsin store. As PG previously reported, Meijer's robust expansion plan in the Badger State includes the opening of 16 new supercenters by 2019.

Meijer's growth and investment plans have been on the uptick as of late, as the company more recently announced plans to allocate more than $400 million this year to new and remodeled stores across its six-state operating area. The grocer has opened 36 new stores since 2010.

Meijer did not immediately respond to PG's request for comment.

Named as Progressive Grocer’s 2015 Retailer of the Year, Meijer operates more than 200 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.