Meijer Planning to Open Store in Avon

AVON, OH - By 2020, Avon 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 Avon.

The chain plans to open other stores in Mentor, Stow, 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 three grocery stores in the Avon area including Marc's, Giant Eagle, and Heinen's. For those keeping score, the 2015 US Census estimates pegged Avon's population as 22,544. While that number may increase gradually over time, that would still be four major supermarkets attempting to service a base population of about 22,500.

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