Kroger to Invest $180M in Michigan, Create 1,000 New Jobs

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The Kroger supermarket chain has announced that a $180 million investment in Michigan will create 1,000 new jobs, build three new stores and extensively remodel 11 existing stores.

The new Marketplace stores — which sell not only supermarket items, but also home goods, small appliances, home office items and toys — will be at 12 Mile and Stephenson in Royal Oak, M59 and Elizabeth Lake Road in White Lake Township, and 26 Mile and Van Dyke in Shelby Township.

The investment also includes six new fuel centers and brings to 22 the number of ClickList sites — stores where customers can pickup online orders without getting out of their vehicles — in Michigan.

The investment is Kroger’s biggest so far in Michigan and speaks to the company’s continued growth, Jayne Homco, president of The Kroger Co. in Michigan, said in a statement.

"Last year was an incredible year of growth and innovation for The Kroger Co. of Michigan and we are excited to announce that we will exceed our 2015 accomplishments by every metric and measure in 2016," Homco said. "We are incredibly proud of our great people and the results we achieved last year."

It’s unclear when the new Marketplace stores will open, or where the additional gas stations and ClickList sites will be located.

On Friday, the Cincinnati-based Kroger announced a strategic partnership with Lucky's Market, a specialty grocery store chain focused on natural, organic and locally-grown products based in Boulder, CO.

Kroger said in a statement it had made a “meaningful investment in Lucky's, which will significantly accelerate Lucky's Market's growth in new and existing markets.”

The financial terms of the transaction, which closed Friday, were not disclosed.

Lucky’s operates 17 stores in 13 states in the Midwest and Southeast United States, including one in Ann Arbor and a second location planned in Traverse City, according to its website.

Kroger, which employs 19,000 people in Michigan, has 129 stores, 69 fuel centers and 103 pharmacies. It also operates the Michigan Dairy.