Meijer

Retailer / private label

Meijer is a privately held American supercenter and grocery retailer serving the Great Lakes region. Alternate spelling of Meijer

Last updated November 1, 2026

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Overview

Meijer is a privately held American retail chain headquartered in Walker, Michigan. The company operates supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, pharmacies, and fuel stations across the Great Lakes region. Its principal markets are Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Meijer is especially associated with the one-stop supercenter format, combining a full grocery operation with general merchandise, apparel, household goods, electronics, health and beauty products, and seasonal merchandise under one roof. The business began in 1934 when Hendrik Meijer, a Dutch immigrant and barber in Greenville, Michigan, entered grocery retail during the Great Depression. His son Frederik joined the business as a teenager and later became its long-serving chairman. From its early stores in western Michigan, the company developed a regional operating model emphasizing broad assortments, competitive prices, fresh food, and convenient locations. Meijer was an early adopter of self-service shopping and shopping carts, practices that helped shape its supermarket format. A decisive turning point came in 1962, when the company opened Thrifty Acres in Grand Rapids. The large store combined food and department-store merchandise and is widely regarded as an early American hypermarket. The format became the foundation of Meijer's later supercenter network. Under Frederik Meijer's leadership, the company expanded throughout Michigan and eventually entered Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Thrifty Acres name was replaced by Meijer in 1986 as the company consolidated its retail identity. Meijer has also experimented with formats outside the standard supercenter, including discount department stores, specialty apparel chains, a pharmacy chain, a warehouse club, grocery-focused Marketplace stores, and smaller neighborhood markets. Some concepts, such as SourceClub and several apparel formats, were discontinued, while newer grocery formats such as Bridge Street Market, Meijer Grocery, and neighborhood markets have extended the brand into urban and smaller-footprint locations. The company remains family controlled and unlisted. Its current business includes more than 500 stores and other retail locations, including more than 270 supercenters according to the cited company history. Most supercenters operate in the six-state Great Lakes footprint, with adjacent Meijer Express fuel stations common at larger locations. Meijer has continued to invest in store modernization, digital payment technology, sustainable construction, regional expansion, and grocery-led formats while competing with Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, and other national and regional retailers. The company remains family-controlled and privately held. Its current operations include more than 500 stores and other retail locations, including more than 270 supercenters according to cited company history. Most supercenters are located in six Great Lakes states, and larger locations often include an adjacent Meijer Express fuel station. Meijer continues to invest in store modernization, digital payment technology, sustainable building, regional expansion, and grocery-led formats while competing with Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, and other national and regional retailers.

History

Meijer began in 1934 in Greenville, Michigan, when Hendrik Meijer moved from barbering into grocery retail. His son Frederik worked in the first store while still a teenager. The early business expanded through western Michigan, opening stores in Cedar Springs in 1942, Ionia in 1946, and Grand Rapids in 1949. By the 1960s, the chain had more than two dozen stores in the region. In 1962, Meijer introduced the Thrifty Acres concept in Grand Rapids. The large-format store combined groceries and general merchandise, anticipating the supercenter model later adopted widely by American retailers. Frederik Meijer assumed leadership after Hendrik's death in 1964. The company expanded across Michigan during the following decades, reaching central Michigan in 1966, southeastern Michigan in the 1970s, and northern Michigan in 1977. In 1986, the Thrifty Acres stores adopted the Meijer name. The company tested numerous adjacent formats. It opened apparel concepts including Copper Rivet, Sagebrush, and Casual Court, later renamed Tansy; these were eventually closed or sold. The Spaar discount pharmacy chain began in 1980 and was later sold. Meijer Square stores offered department-store merchandise without a full grocery section, while SourceClub attempted to compete in warehouse retail during the early 1990s. SourceClub closed in 1994 after failing to establish a sustainable position against Sam's Club and Costco. Meijer entered Indiana in 1994 and Illinois in 1995. Its 1996 Cincinnati expansion also established a presence in Kentucky, followed by further Kentucky stores in Lexington and Louisville. The company continued entering metropolitan and suburban markets in Indiana and Illinois through the end of the decade and into 2000. Intensifying competition contributed to corporate restructuring in the early 2000s, including layoffs and outsourcing of some information-technology work. At the same time, Meijer invested in a refreshed brand identity, new advertising, and redesigned stores. In 2005 it renewed expansion in Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio, and in 2007 opened its first LEED-certified store in Allen Park, Michigan. A management restructuring later that year affected approximately 500 managers. During the 2010s, Meijer reached major expansion milestones. It opened its 200th supercenter in 2013, entered Detroit in the same year, adopted mobile-payment options in 2014, and entered Wisconsin in 2015. The company expanded into Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin in 2017, added further Wisconsin and Michigan locations in 2018, and entered the Cleveland-Akron market in 2019. It opened in the Youngstown area in 2020 and continued developing smaller grocery formats. Bridge Street Market opened in Grand Rapids in 2018, followed by additional neighborhood markets in Michigan, Detroit, and Cleveland. Meijer Grocery was introduced in 2023 as a larger grocery-focused format than the neighborhood stores but smaller than a typical supercenter. The retailer has also pursued expansion opportunities in the St. Louis area and explored entry into western Pennsylvania.

2023
Meijer Grocery format introduced
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
The first Meijer Grocery stores open in Lake Orion and Macomb Township, Michigan.
2018
First neighborhood market
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
Bridge Street Market opens in Grand Rapids as a smaller grocery format.
2015
Wisconsin expansion
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
Meijer opens its first Wisconsin locations.
2013
200th supercenter opens
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
The milestone store opens in Swartz Creek, Michigan.
2007
First LEED-certified store
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
Meijer opens a LEED-certified store in Allen Park, Michigan.
1995
Entry into Illinois
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
Meijer opens its first Illinois store in Champaign.
1994
Entry into Indiana
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
The first Indiana location opens in Mishawaka.
1986
Thrifty Acres adopts the Meijer name
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
The company consolidates its large-store identity under the Meijer brand.
1962
First Thrifty Acres supercenter
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
Meijer opens a large combined grocery and general-merchandise store in Grand Rapids.
1934
Meijer is founded
[1]Meijeren.wikipedia.org
Hendrik Meijer opens a grocery store in Greenville, Michigan.

Products and positioning

A family-owned regional one-stop retailer combining supermarket breadth with discount department-store merchandise, with an emphasis on fresh food, value, convenience, and Great Lakes community presence.

Hypermarket · 1962
Meijer Supercenters
The core Meijer format combines a full supermarket with discount department-store merchandise. Stores generally carry fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery items, packaged food, apparel, home goods, electronics, seasonal products, health and beauty items, and pharmacy services. Many locations are paired with a Meijer Express fuel station.
Grocery store · 2023
Meijer Grocery
Introduced in 2023, Meijer Grocery is a grocery-focused format of roughly 75,000 to 90,000 square feet. It is smaller than the traditional supercenter while retaining a broad food assortment and selected general merchandise.
Small-format grocery · 2018
Neighborhood Markets
Meijer's neighborhood markets serve urban and community locations with stores generally ranging from 35,000 to 50,000 square feet. Examples include Bridge Street Market, Woodward Corner Market, Capital City Market, Rivertown Market, Fairfax Market, and Independence Market.
Fuel and convenience
Meijer Express
Meijer Express locations commonly sit beside supercenters and sell gasoline, diesel, E85 or other alternative fuels at selected sites, convenience items, and related services. Some locations also provide electric-vehicle charging.
Warehouse club · 1992
SourceClub
SourceClub was Meijer's warehouse-club experiment, launched with seven locations. It closed in 1994 after failing to compete effectively with established warehouse clubs.

Controversies

2021
Avanti recalls frozen cooked shrimp products linked to salmonella outbreak
In 2021, Avanti Frozen Foods recalled some frozen cooked shrimp products sold under several brand names after salmonella was found in a sample of its shrimp. The CDC linked an outbreak to certain frozen cooked shrimp products distributed nationwide. The article reported six illnesses and two hospitalizations. Customers with affected products could return them for a refund.
Source
2020
Meijer recalls mixed nuts over undeclared Brazil nuts
Meijer initiated a voluntary recall of 13,284 packages of mixed nuts after discovering that the product contained Brazil nuts not declared on the label. Customers were advised to discard the product or return it for a full refund. No illnesses had been reported at the time of the announcement.
Source
2020
Meijer recalls selected cantaloupe products
Meijer recalled selected cantaloupe products sold at its stores after Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development sampling exposed a risk of salmonella. Customers were told to discard the recalled products or return them to a Meijer store for a refund.
Source

2003New Meijer store image
United States
Meijer worked with outside advertising and design firms on a new logo, advertising approach, and store environment intended to make the chain feel more contemporary and inviting.
Outcome. The program supported a broader store redesign and expansion effort.
Source

Brand decisions

2023
Launch of Meijer GroceryProduct launch
Background
The company sought a grocery-led format that could fit sites where a traditional supercenter was less appropriate.
Action taken
Meijer opened the first Meijer Grocery stores in Lake Orion and Macomb Township, Michigan.
Aftermath
The format expanded to Noblesville, Indiana, with additional Detroit-area locations under development according to the cited history.
Source
2014
Adoption of mobile payment platformsProduct launch
Background
Retail payment systems were shifting toward smartphone-based transactions.
Action taken
Meijer accepted Apple Pay and CurrentC at stores and fuel stations.
Aftermath
The decision positioned Meijer among early large retailers supporting both payment systems.
Source
2003
Corporate restructuring and brand refreshStrategy
Background
Meijer faced intense competition and undertook workforce reductions while reconsidering its store image and operating model.
Action taken
The company implemented staffing changes, commissioned new advertising, and began a store and logo redesign.
Aftermath
The retailer continued expansion and introduced new-store formats and environments.
Source
1962
Launch of the Thrifty Acres hypermarket formatProduct launch
Background
Meijer sought to combine food shopping and department-store purchasing in one large location.
Action taken
The company opened a 180,000-square-foot store in Grand Rapids under the Thrifty Acres name.
Aftermath
The format became the foundation of Meijer's modern supercenter business.
Source

Recent events

Unconfirmed
Meijer debuts Sage & Sky athleisure brand for juniors[5]Meijer推出面向青少年的 Sage & Sky 运动休闲品牌news.google.com
Reported: 2026-10-22
Meijer debuted Sage & Sky, an athleisure brand for juniors.
2022-02-02
EVgo charging stations begin opening at Meijer stores[6]EVgo充电站开始在Meijer门店启用supermarketnews.com
Reported: 2022-02-02
Meijer began opening its first electric-vehicle charging stations at its stores under its partnership with EVgo. The initial locations were at Meijer supercenters in Michigan and Ohio.
2021-11-09
Instacart and Meijer expand alcohol delivery partnership[7]Instacart与Meijer扩大酒类配送合作supermarketnews.com
Reported: 2021-11-09
Instacart and Meijer partnered to offer alcohol delivery from more than 180 Meijer store locations across Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
2021-09-15
Meijer sponsors Detroit Red Wings helmets[8]Meijer 赞助底特律红翼队头盔mix957gr.com
Reported: 2021-09-15
Meijer made a sponsorship deal with the Detroit Red Wings that puts Meijer’s logo on the team’s home, away and practice helmets.
2021-09-07
Meijer launches online custom cake ordering[9]Meijer 推出在线定制蛋糕订购服务prnewswire.com
Reported: 2021-09-07
Meijer announced and made available an online system for customers to browse cake designs, place custom orders, and pick them up at a Meijer Bakery.
Unconfirmed
Banza Pizza expands retail distribution[10]Banza Pizza 扩大零售分销范围foodnavigator.com
Reported: 2021-08-25
Banza Pizza expanded its retail presence by 306% in less than a year, with recent rollouts at Stop & Shop, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and Meijer.
2021-07-19
Meijer expands teacher discount to more product categories[11]Meijer扩大教师折扣适用商品类别prnewswire.com
Reported: 2021-07-19
Meijer expanded its annual 15 percent teacher discount to include office furniture and kids' apparel, in addition to more than 1,500 items. The discount is offered through Meijer stores in six Midwestern states.
2021-06-26
Avanti recalls frozen cooked shrimp products linked to salmonella outbreak[3]Avanti recalls frozen cooked shrimp products linked to salmonella outbreakkvia.com
Reported: 2021-06-26
Avanti Frozen Foods recalled some frozen cooked shrimp products sold under several brand names after salmonella was found in a sample of its shrimp; the CDC linked an outbreak to certain frozen cooked shrimp products distributed nationwide. The article reports six illnesses and two hospitalizations. Customers with affected products could return them for a refund.
2021-05-20
Meijer offers $10 vaccination coupons[12]Meijer推出10美元疫苗接种优惠券wcrz.com
Reported: 2021-05-20
Meijer stores in Michigan and throughout the Midwest offered customers $10 off a purchase for getting vaccinated at a Meijer pharmacy, and a $10-off-$50 coupon to customers vaccinated previously at Meijer or elsewhere.
2021-03-29
Meijer expands participation in federal COVID-19 pharmacy program[13]Meijer 扩大参与联邦新冠疫苗药房计划supermarketnews.com
Reported: 2021-03-29
Meijer said it became a national partner in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccination in Wisconsin, Illinois and Kentucky, expanding its participation beyond Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

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