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Meijer to Test Smaller Format

Supercenter pioneer Meijer yesterday said it would open a new format considerably smaller than its typical store and focused on the grocery side of the business.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Supercenter pioneer Meijer, based here, yesterday said it would open a new format considerably smaller than its typical store and focused on the grocery side of the business.

The 102,000-square-foot outlet — about half the size of a typical Meijer but still more than twice the size of a typical supermarket — is scheduled to debut in the first quarter of next year in Niles, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

“This is an exciting announcement for everyone at our company,” said Hank Meijer, co-chairman and chief executive officer of the privately owned retailer, in a prepared statement. "Not only does this store represent a new approach to the way we go to market, it also reinforces our commitment to invest and grow in Chicagoland.”

The new store, the company said, “will be grocery and pharmacy focused, while still providing some general merchandise offerings.”

Construction is expected to begin in the next few weeks at a location that had been vacated by another retailer, Meijer said. Meijer currently operates 189 supercenters in five Midwestern states.

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