Meijer's stand-alone grocery operations continued until the early 1990s, as the larger stores became dominant. Under his leadership, the Thrifty Acres stores became a success and were renamed Meijer in 1986. įred Meijer took over the company upon his father's death in 1964. Meijer expanded into Northern Michigan with their 33rd location in Traverse City opening in 1977. This was followed by the first Mid-Michigan location in Delta Charter Township, Michigan, in 1966 and the first Metro Detroit store in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1972. New stores were built in the same manner until the mid-1970s, when an architect mentioned the extra cost to management.

The store was built with six-inch (150 mm) thick floors, so should the concept fail, the nongrocery half could be converted into an indoor car dealership. At a size of 180,000 square feet (17,000 m 2), it combined grocery shopping and department store shopping in a single large store. In 1962 Meijer launched its modern format with a store at the corner of 28th Street and Kalamazoo Avenue in Grand Rapids. By the 1960s, the company had over two dozen stores located throughout West Michigan. The first Grand Rapids store opened on South Division Avenue in 1949. The Greenville store was successful and additional Meijer groceries were opened in Cedar Springs (1942) and Ionia (1946). He also offered staple items, such as vinegar, at bargain prices.

After studying trends in the grocery industry, Meijer was among the first stores to offer self-service shopping and shopping carts. The current co-chairmen, brothers Hank and Doug Meijer, are Hendrik's grandsons. His first employees included his 14-year-old son, Frederik Meijer, who later became chairman of the company. Meijer was a local barber who entered the grocery business during the Great Depression. Meijer was founded as Meijer's in Greenville, Michigan, in 1934 by Hendrik Meijer, a Dutch immigrant. The chain is ranked by Forbes as the 14th-largest private company in the United States, and is the country's 21st-largest retailer by revenue as of 2020. About half of the company's 259 stores are located in Michigan the others are in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962. Its corporate headquarters are in Walker, Michigan, which is a part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. ər/, MY-ər stylized as meijer) is an American supercenter chain that primarily operates throughout the Midwestern United States.

Meijer photo print to store