Meijer invests $50M to remodel stores in Kroger's backyard

Meijer plans to update four Meijer stores in the Dayton area.

WALKER, MI -- Meijer is spending $50 million to upgrade four Ohio supercenters in the backyard of competitor Kroger.

The stores located in Dayton area - about an hour's drive from Kroger's Cincinnati headquarters - will undergo extensive remodeling. The top-to-bottom redesign includes new tile flooring, color schemes, lighting fixtures and upgraded restrooms.

The goal is to enhance the customer shopping experience, according to the Midwest retailer headquartered in the Grand Rapids suburb of Walker.

Last year, Kroger announced it was spending $100 million to update 10 Michigan stores located on the east side of the state, according to Crain's Detroit. Kroger doesn't operate any stores in the West Michigan region, where Meijer has the biggest marketshare.

The four Meijer supercenters - located in the communities of Kettering, Miami Township, Engelwood and Beavercreek - are staying open during the construction process, which began in April.

The project is slated to be finished in late 2015 and will provide each store with a new facade, remodeled gas station and drive-thru pharmacy.

"We are pleased to reinforce our commitment to Dayton," Meijer Co-Chairman Hank Meijer said in a statement. "Our customers expect high standards from us, and our investment in these stores will ensure they enjoy the best shopping experience we can provide."

The store will convert to a new floor plan with wider aisles and departments redesigned to carry more products. Changes planned for the apparel section include 12-foot-high walls, specialty lighting with updated fitting rooms. A pharmacy will be added near the front of the stores.

Meijer opened its first Dayton area store in 1991. Now, six of Mejer's 41 stores in Ohio are in the Dayton area, according to the retailer. Meijer operates 213 locations in a five-state footprint that also includes Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

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