Meijer Supercenter Plans First Wisconsin Site

Larry Lund still remembers the first time he walked into a large Meijer combo supermarket-discount store.

Along with a full-service grocery, including a deli, bakery and fresh meat department, and the clothing, home furnishings, toys and other general merchandise, the store was running a sale on canoes.

"I was like, 'Whoa!' " said Lund, a Chicago supermarket site selection consultant.

By 2014, Milwaukee-area residents could get their own chance to shop at Meijer, when the Michigan-based retailer plans to open its first southeastern Wisconsin store, in Franklin. Meijer's combination stores, known in the trade as supercenters, differ from those operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp., with a greater emphasis on groceries over general merchandise and a higher level of service, said Lund and others.

"You don't get that service at a Walmart or a Target," said Lund, who operates Real Estate Planning Group.

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