Fareway Meat Market Set for Memorial Day Debut

Right on time for the official kickoff off summer grilling season, Boone, Iowa-based Fareway Stores Inc. will open its first Fareway Meat Market on Memorial Day weekend, which kicks off May 26.

Reynolds Cramer, CEO of the 114-store regional supermarket company, told the Des Moines Register that  the  launch of the specialty-format store will give Fareway the chance to tout its signature fresh meat offerings in a new way.

“We feel this will give our customers who live too far from our traditional stores a chance to enjoy what Fareway has to offer from our second-to-none meat departments,” Cramer said.

The 6,000-square-foot meat market, which will boast a 56-foot meat case – roughly 16 feet longer than what's found in a typical Fareway – will showcase a wide array of fresh beef, chicken, pork and lamb, as well as an expanded seafood section, sandwiches and specialty cuts.

The compact store, whose decor is "a mix of modern and historical," according to the Register, will also feature artisan cheeses, wines and craft beers.

The new meat market model will provide Fareway with a presence in markets where a full-sized store isn't feasible. “When land opportunities do not support a 3- to 5-acre site, we can drop in a 6,000-square-foot meat market,” Cramer was quoted as telling the newspaper, adding that Fareway chose Omaha, Neb., for its pilot meat market concept because company founder Paul Beckwith was from the area.