Hy-Vee to Close 2 Stores, Repurpose 2

Hy-Vee Inc. is changing retail operations at four of its Midwest stores. The food retailer plans to repurpose two grocery stores and close two other locations in early 2022. All affected full- and part-time employees will be offered comparable positions with the same pay and benefits across the company’s other stores in each respective market. 
 
The following stores will be repurposed:

• The Englewood Hy-Vee store, located at 207 NE Englewood Road in Kansas City, Mo., will close at 6 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2022. The location will be transitioned to a Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits location in the coming months. The current Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh convenience store located at this site will remain open.
• The Kiwanis Avenue Hy-Vee store, located at 2700 West 10th Street in Sioux Falls, S.D., will close at 6 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2022. This site will be renovated to become a nonretail site by the company.

The two stores to cease operations are:

• The John Deere Road Hy-Vee, located at 750 42nd Avenue Drive in Moline, Ill., will close permanently at 6 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2022. 
• The Collins Road Hy-Vee, located at 279 Collins Road NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will close permanently at 6 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2022. 

Customers will be notified verbally and by signage posted throughout the stores. Hy-Vee Aisles Online pickup services at these locations will cease on Dec. 6; however, Aisles Online delivery options for customers served by these stores will still be available and fulfilled by a nearby Hy-Vee location.

Pharmacy customers will receive a letter informing them that their prescriptions will be transferred to a nearby Hy-Vee Pharmacy, or a pharmacy of their choosing. 

The retail changes follow the September debut of Hy-Vee’s new store prototype in Grimes, Iowa, that showcases numerous banner firsts. For example, the approximately 93,000-square-foot store is the first location to offer a new dining experience for customers, a large, open food hall dining area for fast-casual dining, which includes Hy-Vee’s new breakfast menu; a pub with a full bar and an outdoor patio; mealtime offerings, Mia Italian; HyChi; Nori Sushi; Chowbotics; Long Island Deli; and a Wahlburgers at Hy-Vee. The retailer unveiled its second “totally reimagined” grocery store in Eau Claire, Wis., a few weeks after the Grimes grand opening.

Employee-owned Hy-Vee has a team of 86,000 employees and operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states, with sales of $12 billion annually. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 34 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.