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[[Category:Companies based in Michigan]]
[[Category:Companies based in Michigan]]
[[Category:Hypermarkets of the United States]]
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[[Category:Supermarkets of the United States]]
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[[Category:Privately held companies of the United States]]

Revision as of 00:10, 28 December 2006

For the unrelated chain of hypermarkets that is owned by Kroger, see Fred Meyer.
Meijer
Company typePrivate company
IndustryRetail (Grocery & Discount)
Founded1934 (Greenville, MI)
HeadquartersGrand Rapids, Michigan
Key people
Fred Meijer, Chairman
Hank Meijer, Co-CEO
Paul Boyer, Co-CEO
Mark Murray, President (as of August 1, 2006)
ProductsGroceries, clothing, footwear, gasoline, bedding, furniture, jewelry, health and beauty products, electronics, housewares and pet supplies
Revenue$13.2 billion USD (2005)
Number of employees
65,000
Websitewww.meijer.com

Meijer (Dutch, pronounced MY-er, IPA: ['maɪ ɹ]) is a regional American discount department store and grocery retailer that was founded in 1934. About half of Meijer's 176 locations are located in Michigan and others are located across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Meijer is based in Walker, Michigan, and was ranked No. 10 on Forbes' "America's Largest Private Companies" in 2005.[1]

Meijer is sometimes referred to as Meijer's (in the possessive) by residents of Michigan and Ohio. Many Michigan speakers refer to other business names in the possessive as well ("Kmart's", "Ford's", etc)[2].

History

Meijer was founded in 1934 as Meijer's Grocery in Greenville, Michigan by Hendrik Meijer, the son of a Dutch immigrant. Meijer was a local barber who decided to invest in the grocery business. His employees included his son, Fred Meijer, then a 14-year-old grocery bagger, who would later become the well-known chairman of the company. The current co-chairmen, brothers Hank and Doug Meijer are Hendrik's grandsons.

The store slowly grew, and by 1960 had over two dozen stores (primarily near Grand Rapids, Michigan). In 1962, the modern format of Meijer was started, with the opening of the first Meijer's Thrifty Acres store at the corner of 28th Street and Kalamazoo in Grand Rapids (still in operation today), combining grocery shopping and department store shopping in a single large store. Meijer copyrighted the phrase "One Stop Shopping".

The Thrifty Acres stores, now under the leadership of Fred Meijer, became a tremendous success and were renamed to simply Meijer in 1986 Meijer's stand-alone grocery operations continued until the early 1990s, as the larger stores became dominant.

With the increasing dominance of Wal-Mart throughout the country during the 1990s and now into the Midwest, Meijer is facing the effects of an intensely competitive retail industry. In 2003, the company was forced to lay off several thousand employees and managerial staff, leading to speculation that the company was losing profitability and market share. That year, the company announced that all new Meijer stores would feature an entirely new format and company image, complete with a new logo intended to make the Meijer stores seem "friendly" and inviting. Meijer has also embarked on a new expansion plan that will increase its number of stores in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. Retail analysts have also speculated that Meijer could expand into neighboring states within a decade.

Operations

A Meijer in Midland, Michigan.
A Meijer in Rolling Meadows, Illinois incorporating the company's new store format and logo.

Meijer primarily operates department stores under the "super center" philosophy (also known as a hypermarket), which means that groceries and department store goods are carried in the same large stores. A typical Meijer superstore carries over 150,000 items. Many also feature a gas station, featuring pay-at-the-pump, with a mid-size convenience store; in most cases, these gas stations are located in front of the store itself. All gas stations now feature RFID technology for payment at the pump.

A typical Meijer is open 24 hours a day, 364 days a year, and is closed on one day a year (Christmas). The stores usually close around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and reopen around 6 a.m. on December 26.

Other Meijer concepts

In the face of competition, Meijer tried many other retail concepts over the years. These concepts included:

  • Spaar: In 1980, Meijer converted two old supermarket locations to a discount drugstore chain known as Spaar (Dutch for "save"). The Spaar stores would be sold to Perry Drugs by the mid 1980s, as Meijer decided that focusing on its larger stores was of higher importance.
  • Copper Rivet, Sagebrush, Tansy: Meijer started these three specialty clothing stores in the 1980s as means of selling popular brand-name clothing. Copper Rivet sold Levi's jeans; Sagebrush sold casual wear; and Tansy sold women's clothing. These specialty stores usually operated in front of existing Meijer stores, although some locations were located in strip malls; one Sagebrush was even located in a mall. These stores would close in the late 1980s and early 1990s as their leases expired, and as brand-name clothing became more available at other, more popular stores.
  • SourceClub: A warehouse club operation (similar to Sam's Club or Costco), SourceClub opened in 1992. The SourceClub concept failed and its stores closed by 1994; one location was converted to a regular Meijer store. It is likely that the stores failed due to increasing competition from Sam's Club, Costco, and the now-defunct Pace Warehouse.

Working at Meijer

The average Meijer store employs over 400 people. Few Meijer stores are union operated, less than ten as of December 2006, due to Meijer coporate feeling that unions are counter-productive. Meijer Employees are given a 15 minute paid break, an unpaid 30 minute lunch for shifts over 5 1/4 hours, and a second paid break for shifts over 6 1/2 hours. Wage rates vary by market. There are a small number of hourly employees who are able to make more than their set top rate because of their longevity. Those who were hired prior to 1984 are still employed under a non-expiring contract. This contract has top wages of higher than other employees and are currently making up to around $16.50/hour.

Raises are given as team members hit certain hour and time quotas. For team members hired before 1984 a raise is received every 11 months for full-time workers and every 15 months for part-time. Team members hired between 1985 and 2003 employees receive a raise for 700 hours worked. Team members hired after the ratification of the current contract in 2003 receive a raise for every 1000 hours worked.

Non-union workers (Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky) also receive extra bonuses after 90 days of work. The most notable of these bonuses are known as 'issue-free hourly incentives'. These incentives are given every 4 weeks to employees whose store has surpassed the projected earnings quota. The amount received in this bonus is reflected by the percentage the store (or unit) has surpassed the quota, by its ranking in the consumer ratings system know as 'Meijer e-panel', and by the number of hours worked by the employee in that period. This means that the employee could make almost a full paycheck extra depending on the performance of the store.

Hierarchy of management includes Team Leaders, Area Team Leaders, Line Team Leaders and a Store Director, in that order. A typical Meijer store will employ 15-25 Team Leaders, 8-12 Area Team Leaders, and four Line Team Leaders. Line Team Leaders and experienced Area Team Leaders are also responsible for acting as a Store Director in Charge. Management at Meijer is non-union. There are, however, a few positions that contain supervisory functions with shift premiums. Guest Service Coordinators are part of the unionized workforce (where applicable) and assists a Guest Service Team Leader with customer service functions. Stores will also contain Lead Clerks in General Merchandise and Grocery areas.

Controversy

In 2006, Meijer scored a zero on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, which is a measure of how U.S. companies and businesses are treating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors. Specifically, the HRC claims that Meijer does not offer "even minimal benefits or workplace protection for gay employees" and lists it as a consistently gay-unfriendly company. Meijer was one of only three companies out of over 400 graded to receive this extremely low score.[3] Meijer's ranking stands in contrast to the high ratings of its bigger retail rivals, such as Federated Department Stores (80%), Sears/Kmart (100%), Target Corporation (80%), and Wal-Mart (65%).

Philanthropy

Community Rewards allows customers to determine where Meijer's donations go. Customers sign up and choose up to three non-profit organizations. When a card is scanned, those organizations receive credit for the purchase. The website says the amount donated to these organizations is at least 5% of net profits and are distributed based on the number of credits each organization receives.

As a philanthropist, Fred Meijer's most significant contribution has been the land and sculpture collection for the 125-acre Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, a botanic garden and sculpture park in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Meijer also donated land for a Grand Valley State University campus in Holland, Michigan approximately 30 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.[1]. Meijer, Inc. also donated an undisclosed amount of money to GVSU in the mid 1980s for construction of new studios for GVSU's Public Television Station, WGVU-which to this day continues to broadcast from "The Meijer Public Broadcast Center."

Other donations helped create Spectrum Health's Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center.

Meijer's donations to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief included food and water, which arrived on the store's trucks at relief centers in Mississippi before government aid, as well as money given from both the company itself and its customers, who donated through the company's website.

In 2004, Fred Meijer offered to donate $1 million and a former golf course near Grand Rapids' East Beltline in order to fund a relocation and expansion of the historic John Ball Zoo. (The zoo is nestled between residential neighborhoods and I-96 on Grand Rapids' northwest side.) The proposal was turned down by voters and Meijer retracted the offer.

Recently, the Meijer Foundation announced plans to donate $1 million to Michigan's White Pine Trail State Park, raising the total donations from $2.1 to $3.1 million. The donation carried a stipulation that the state must name the trail the "Fred Meijer White Pine Trail". The state Parks Department initally turned down the donation, but the decision created a controversy over naming rights for private donations to public parks.

Grand Rapids' downtown Civic Theatre, now renamed the Meijer Majestic Theatre, had a $10 million renovation, thanks in large part to donations by Fred Meijer, as well as Civic Action, a Grand Rapids-based community improvement organization. The name Meijer Majestic Theatre reflects both the original name of the 103 year old theatre as well as Fred Meijer's philanthropy.

In 2006, Meijer donated money to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in order to create the paid position called the Frederik Meijer Chair of Dutch Language and Culture. Previously there was a chair but it was unpaid. It is currently held by Dr. Henk Aay, and its purpose is to promote interest in the Netherlands and Michigan's Dutch cultural heritage. [4]

Trivia

  • While most Meijer stores were built from scratch, the locations in Traverse City and Sterling Heights were converted W. T. Grant stores. Also, one Detroit location was converted from Meijer's failed "SourceClub" concept.
  • Some Meijer stores, including two in Flint, Michigan, feature a balcony containing service tenants such as a barber shop and nail salon. Both stores formerly had a full-service McDonald's restaurant in their balconies; a third Flint store also contained a McDonald's despite lacking a balcony. Similarly, several locations now include Starbucks coffee shops..
  • All Meijer stores have been open 24 hours since March 7, 1988. These hours of operation make Meijer popular among college students.
  • The first "Thrifty Acres" store, on 28th Street in Grand Rapids, was built with thicker floors, so that should the concept fail, the store could be converted to a car dealer. New "Thrifty Acres" stores were built with extra-thick floors until the 1970s.
  • Meijer is credited with being the first "hypermarket" store in the United States, combining a multitude of merchandise under one roof.

Notes

  1. ^ "The Largest Private Companies". Forbes.com. November 9, 2006. Retrieved 16 November. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ ""Michigan Accent: Idiosyncrasies and Patterns"". MichiganNative.com.
  3. ^ Human Rights Campaign Foundation "New Report Shows Corporate America Competing to be the Most GLBT-Friendly," September 19, 2006
  4. ^ Frederik Meijer Chair of Dutch Language and Culture Calvin College 2006