Five Hiller's stores to re-open as Krogers next week

Five Hiller's Markets will re-open next Wednesday morning as Kroger stores.

The South Lyon, Commerce Township, Northville Township, West Bloomfield and Ann Arbor locations will be open for business at 8 a.m.

A downtown Northville store is being renovated and will re-open in the fall, according to the company.

A second former Hiller's in Commerce Township on Union Lake will not re-open, because Kroger opened a store nearby a year ago, spokesman Ken McClure said,

In May, Kroger announced its plan to buy the seven stores in the local supermarket chain. The acquisition price wasn't released.

The new Krogers will have the regular Kroger signage. None will be a Kroger Marketplace, the supermarket chain's format that includes apparel.

These new stores will have a Hiller's-feel to them, though, he added. The old chain's president, Jim Hiller, let Kroger keep some signature items, like the bakery cookies, and the revamped locations will have larger meat and produce sections than traditional Krogers and broader arrays of gourmet and ethnic foods.

"We tried to keep the essence of what Hiller's was known for and we're trying to keep that legacy, not change it or streamline it," McClure said. "We're not going to keep every item they carried, but we've made every effort to keep items items consumers want."

The new stores will be open 6 a.m-midnight daily.

The first 400 shoppers at the new stores will get $10 gift cards and reusable shopping bag and the stores will have product samples and specials all day, according to Kroger.

Family-owned Hiller's had a reputation for fresh food, unique grocery items and excellent customer service.

Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in the United State, has 129 stores in Michigan and invested $100 million in 2014 to grow and better its Michigan operations.

"We believe customers will appreciate the store updates and welcome the opportunity to return and see their favorite associates from Hiller's," Kroger Co. of Michigan president Jayne Homco said in a statement. "Kroger is proud to continue the Hiller's Market's legacy for fresh. We are also pleased to be able to retain many former Hiller's associates and all Hiller's store managers, which has helped us transition the stores and select products that will appeal to local customers."

Contact Zlati Meyer: 313-223-4439 or zmeyer@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @ZlatiMeyer