Fareway breaks ground in Norwalk, Iowa

Fareway Stores, Inc. broke ground on Tuesday on a 24,000-square-foot full-service, neighborhood grocery store in Norwalk, Iowa.

The new store will be located at 2200 Sunset Drive as part of Norwalk Central, a mixed-use development area that stretches between Beardsley Street to High Road along the east side of Sunset Drive and Highway 28. 

The new store will replace the existing Fareway store located at 1711 Sunset Drive. Site work has begun, with anticipated construction completion in early 2024, the grocery retailer announced.

“Our new location will serve as the gateway to the Norwalk Central development in the heart of the city and we want to thank city officials for their commitment to growth with Fareway,” said Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer, in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to serve area residents with a larger, updated shopping experience with improved access and aesthetics.”

The new, larger store footprint will boast a modern look, with more natural lighting and improved aesthetics, better access and parking and energy efficiencies, such as rooftop solar panels.

City officials also expressed excitement about Fareway’s involvement with Norwalk Central.

“All around our city, you can see Fareway’s impact,” said Norwalk Area Chamber of Commerce President Travis Stanley.

Fareway has partnered with the City of Norwalk and Heartland Sports Properties on multi-year, exclusive, naming rights opportunities at Norwalk Central Sports Campus. The outdoor turf fields will be known as Fareway Fields and the indoor basketball/volleyball court at the fieldhouse will be named Fareway Court.

Fareway, which is a family-owned business, has 135 stores in seven states. The Midwest grocer also operates stand-alone meat markets. Midwest Quality Wholesale, a  subsidiary of Fareway Stores, recently purchased Webster City Custom Meats, Inc.