One-Stop Shopping
Meijer is a pioneer of one-stop shop retail stores. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Meijer stores include large fresh produce and meat departments, general grocery departments, a bakery, deli, and pharmacy, apparel departments, home goods, a garden center, hardware and automotive departments, toys, sporting goods, pet supplies, electronics, and more. In addition, Meijer has a “Made in Michigan” section, carries a large selection of Michigan made wines and craft beers, and focuses on carrying higher quality items at affordable prices. All of these unique offerings have made Meijer a staple to consumers in the Midwest.
Innovative History
Meijer has a history of innovation. Some of the important milestones in the company’s long history include:
1934
Hendrik Meijer along with his 14 year old son Fred Meijer, opened the first Meijer’s Grocery in the front of his barber shop in Greenville, Michigan to provide his customers with affordable groceries during the Great Depression. By 1936 the store had doubled in size.
1938
Meijer is among the first stores to offer shopping carts, making the shopping process faster, easier, and more convenient for customers.
1941
Meijer opened its 2nd store in downtown Cedar Springs, MI, which later closed in the 1960’s. However, four decades later, Meijer returned to Cedar Springs in 2009 with the debut of a new, more efficient, one-stop shop store layout which carries groceries and a smaller selection of general merchandise.
1954
Meijer introduces automated conveyor belts to checkout lanes to provide faster and better customer service.
1962
On June 6, 1962 Meijer opened the nation’s first retail supercenter on 28th Street in Grand Rapids, MI called Meijer “Thrifty Acres”. The birth of this supercenter concept would later become a retail phenomenon.
2012
Meijer celebrates its 50th anniversary as the original supercenter with a customer appreciation picnic in June 2012 at the 28th Street Meijer store.
Today Meijer is established in 6 states in the Midwest including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin, with a total of over 200 retail locations.
Commitment to Family and Community
Excellent customer service and respect for team members are values that guided Hendrik Meijer more than 80 years ago when he opened the first Meijer store, and they remain a large part of the company’s core values throughout the years as it has evolved; from son Fred Meijer, to grandsons and co-chairmen Hank Meijer and Doug Meijer. Meijer’s core values are driven by:
- Meeting customer needs and exceeding their expectations
- Continuous innovation and improving to be better than the competition
- Creating a family atmosphere and strengthening local communities
- A focus on fresh food
- Creating a safe and healthy environment for team members and offering healthy lifestyle products for customers
These values are demonstrated through excellent customer service, low prices, quality foods and large selections of local, national, and Meijer brand items. Meijer also supports many community events, and donates more than 6 percent of its profit to charities each year.
Meijer is more than just a supercenter. Meijer is a family-owned Michigan company that understands the importance of supporting local communities, and is committed to making the communities they serve better places to live, work and play. Join us in congratulating Meijer on a successful 80+ years!
The Mac Wood’s Dune Rides were started by Mac Woods in 1930, as a way to entertain guests staying at his lodge. Soon, neighbors and visitors alike were encouraging him to make it a business. Mac Wood’s Dune Rides have been providing safe, fun-filled, educational dune rides to the public ever since. Today, they are one of Michigan’s leading tourist attractions, with thousands of visitors experiencing the dune rides each year.
The history of Dairy Queen® began with a unique soft serve recipe whose popularity created an industry. John Fremont McCullough and his son Bradley created the unique soft serve recipe in 1938 and convinced family friend Sheb Noble to try it out in his ice cream shop. The first day, he dished out more than 1,600 servings of the dairy delight, and they knew they had a hit. Two years later, the first Dairy Queen® opened in Joliet, Illinois on June 22, 1940. Sadly, the original restaurant closed in the 1950’s but by then Dairy Queen’s popularity was exploding, franchising was becoming popular, and there were already well over 1,500 locations nationwide. Today, Dairy Queen® continues to grow, has over 6000 locations worldwide, and is standing strong as one of the most popular fast food restaurants. Their new slogan is: “We make Fan Food. Not fast food”.
In honor of their 75th Anniversary, Dairy Queen® announced the Birthday Cake Oreo Blizzard® treat as the Blizzard of the Month flavor for January.
Bar is likely the most well-known Mexican restaurant in all of West Michigan. It has become famous for its wet burritos and margaritas, winning multiple awards throughout the years. In addition to burritos, the Beltline Bar carries an array of delicious appetizers, salads, sizzling fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, chimichangas, house favorites, burgers and wraps, and desserts.
2014 Passport – Eat Local Challenge. The Passport Challenge features restaurants which are locally based, Michigan owned and operated, and strive to support local suppliers and local food growers. The challenge is simply to dine at the local restaurants and receive a stamp in your passport when you spend at least $10. You can then redeem the stamped passport for gift certificates.
Lastly, this summer the Beltline Bar is partnering with WOOD Radio for “Burrito Tuesday”; to nominate a friend or co-worker to be a “Beltline Bar Burrito Buddy of the Week”. Winners are announced every Tuesday morning between 5am-9am, and will receive a $25 gift certificate to the Beltline Bar.