Meijer Coming to Mentor

MENTOR, OH - Competition for Mentor shoppers could get very competitive in the not-too-distant future. By 2020, Mentor shoppers could be getting their groceries from a Meijer. The grocery store chain has announced plans to open five stores throughout Northeast Ohio, including a site in Stow.

The chain plans to open other stores in Mentor, Avon, Austintown and Bainbridge. A spokesperson for Meijer told Channel 19 that construction would not start on the stores until 2019 at the earliest.

Meijer has long coveted entry into the Northeast Ohio market. Eight months ago Meijer CEO Hank Meijer told a panel at a food conference that, "we see Cleveland as the next city to go to."

The presence of Meijer will mean increased competition for the city and the region's customer base. There are already several grocery store options in the Mentor area including Giant Eagle and Heinen's. For those keeping score, the 2015 US Census estimates pegged Mentor population as 46,901. While that number may increase gradually over time, that would still be several major supermarkets attempting to service a base population of about 47,000.

Still, it's a natural progression for Meijer. The company is privately held, and family-owned. It operates 230 stores throughout Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Photo from Meijer