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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee Inc. is planning to open at least two stores in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of its big expansion plans in southern Minnesota.
Hy-Vee Inc. is planning to open at least two stores in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of its big expansion plans in southern Minnesota.
The company, based here, has yet to announce exact locations and opening dates, but it says each store will involve an investment of between $14 million and $16 million, along with the creation of 400 to 550 jobs.
"We plan to build several stores a year over the next several years," says Chris Friesleben, Hy-Vee’s assistant vice president of communications.
The company already has 16 of its 90,000-square-foot stores in southern Minnesota and is determined to become a major player in the area.
Hy-Vee will, however, face some tough competition in the Twin Cities. Other competitorsinclude Target Corp, Walmart, Whole Foods Market Inc., Costco Wholesale Corp., Cub Foods, Lunds/Byerly’s and Rainbow Foods. "I think competition makes everyone up their game," Friesleben says. "I think the people of Minneapolis and St. Paul are going to like what they see inside our stores."
News of the expansion comes as Hy-Vee announced it is planning to open three walk-in clinics at its stores in Columbia, Mo. University of Missouri Health Care officials say construction of the Mizzou Quick Care clinics is about to begin. Two clinics will open on August 1, with the third expected to be completed by October 1.
