Meijer Opens Mentor Store In May

MENTOR, OH — Meijer's Mentor store will open May 14, the company announced this week.

The store — which will be located on Mentor Avenue — is one of three Meijers set to open in Northeast Ohio this spring. The other two locations are in Avon and Stow.

"We're extremely excited to open the doors to our newest stores here in Northeast Ohio," said Tom Wilson, Regional Vice President, Meijer. "For the last forty years, customers across the state have enjoyed our fresh grocery options, wide selection of general merchandise and overall value. Now we're getting ready to bring our one-stop shopping experience to Avon, Mentor and Stow."

Each store will have a grand opening celebration on May 14. The grocery store chain said local dignitaries are expected to attend ceremonial ribbon-cuttings. There will also be promotional discounts and giveaways at each store starting May 19.

The Meijer stores are more than 155,000-square feet and will be open 24 hours a day. Each store will also have a pharmacy for customers.

“Ohio is very important to us, and these new stores reinforce Meijer’s ongoing commitment to serving the needs of families in the Buckeye State with an incredible combination of service, selection and quality at low prices,” Wilson added.

The Mentor store's director, Brandon Ford shared some of his biography on the Meijer website and thanked the community for welcoming the grocery store. "We are excited to be back in Ohio, close to family, friends and opportunities to build local relationships in Mentor," he wrote.

The Mentor store will be located on Mentor Avenue, near the Chillicothe Road intersection.

Meijer's Northeast Ohio stores were initially announced in late 2016. The Michigan-based grocery chain said it wanted to open several stores in Northeast Ohio by 2020. With three stores opening in May in Ohio, they're set to accomplish that goal and make a splash in the market.

The presence of Meijer will mean increased competition for the region's customer base. There are already several grocery store options in Northeast Ohio including Giant Eagle and Heinen's.

As we noted in 2016, moving into is 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. Expanding the presence in Northeast Ohio would make sense for a company looking for a strong foothold in the Midwest or Great Lakes region.

Meijer currently has 39 stores in the Buckeye State and employ approximately 10,000 people.