ST. PAUL, MN - Midwestern supermarket titan Hy-Vee is continuing its fast-paced expansion in the St. Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area. Since making its first foray into the market, Hy-Vee has already become the area’s biggest grocery provider, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, and the chain doesn’t seem to be slowing. According to the news source, Hy-Vee is planning to open 12 supermarkets by the end of the next year.
“We are thrilled to have Hy-Vee,” said Dan Buchholtz, Administrator of Spring Lake Park, a local municipality soon to host a new Hy-Vee. “I think Hy-Vee is being heartily welcomed wherever they go…It will be our biggest single employer, and will be a significant part of our tax base.”
Hy-Vee has yet to pick a date for the Spring Lake Park store, and the company is scheduled to bring proposals forward in Blaine, Minnesota, this month—first to the planning commission on September 11 and to the city council October 4. Should those proposals be accepted, the retailer could begin construction on an 85,000-square-foot store this time next year.
The Twin Cities Pioneer Press also noted that Hy-Vee’s expansion in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area could displace Cub Foods’ share of the market—some 58 stores in the metro area. Since UNFI and Cub Foods’ parent SuperValu announced plans for the former to acquire the latter company earlier in the year, reports have suggested that Cub Foods and SuperValu’s other retail banners may be on the auction block some time in the near future.
Will Hy-Vee continue its rapid growth, and will Cub Foods’ foothold falter? Or could a future transaction change the makeup of the chessboard for these retailers? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
