Meijers Scales Down with Focus on Groceries

Dana Hunsinger of The Indianapolis Star reports that the Meijer, the Midwest mega retailer is set to open smaller stores throughout the Midwest that will focus on groceries.

"We're definitely looking at markets like Columbus, Detroit and Indianapolis. And down the road, if there is an opportunity, we could definitely go into Indianapolis," said Frank Guglielmi, Meijer spokesman. "It lets us put stores where we never would have been able to put one before."

The new concept is about half the size of traditional Meijer stores, at about 100,000 square feet.

The traditional stores carry a fairly steady mix of merchandise from store to store. The new concept will try to find a niche and sell groceries that reflect the ethnicity and demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Learn more: Meijer's new approach focuses on groceries, niches

What do you think of this move by Meijer? Will we see the "friendly acres" diminish in favor of smaller stores? What are the major benefits of this move?