Another Total Wine store opening in the Twin Cities

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Total Wine came to the Minnesota market in 2014, totalwinephotoopening up four stores in Roseville, Burnsville, Bloomington and Woodbury.   Maple Grove followed last year in 2015.  Their sixth store is under construction in Chanhassen, and should open in this spring.  And now Eagan will see Total Wine coming to the Central Park Commons development.    This market has been very successful for Total Wine, despite a rocky start with getting the governmental approvals they needed to get some of their stores opened.  The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal quoted Ed Cooper, Total Wine’s Vice President of Public Affairs, saying “There are others (locations) out there.  I don’t know that we have finished building out our capacity in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area.   Minnesota stores are particularly well performing for us and they reinforce our decision to come to the state.”   So stay tuned!

Meijer IS coming to Minnesota

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downloadMeijer ended speculation about a Minnesota entry with a resounding YES with their news of a land purchase in Brooklyn Park. They bought 30 acres of land at the NE corner of Highway 610 and Zane Avenue, adding lots of retail supermarket square footage to an already busy intersection. Cub Foods has operated their 68,000 sf store at HJ’s Park Place Promenade center for quite some time now, and was already bracing for competition with the new HyVee now under construction on the south side of Highway 610. Meijer, a supercenter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, operates over 200 large stores (+/- 200,000 sf) throughout the Midwest and will challenge not only the grocers but certainly Target and Walmart.

Target remodels down in 2015

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Target is reporting that they remodeled only 9 stores in 2015 of their total 1,793 locations.  That is down from 39 remodels in 2014, and a high of nearly 400 in 2011.  These numbers do not reflect the 274 small renovations completed, such as new checkout lanes for self-service, or small updates.

One of the 9 major store remodels last year was in their Minnetonka, MN, location, a $10 million project that added new décor, updated grocery departments and upgraded dressing rooms.

They have 36 stores slated for remodel in 2016.  Target’s CEO Brian Cornell stated that they are testing new initiatives in 25 southern California stores to help hone their prototype.

Victoria’s Market Closes … Again

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Victorias MarketThe only grocery store in Victoria closes again.  Victoria’s Market originally opened as Fresh Seasons Market in 2009, and has always struggled to gain a profitable foothold in the competitive world of supermarkets here in Minnesota.  It closed in 2014, and reopened last year as Victoria’s Market, but this time with pickets by former employees for unpaid vacation and pension benefits.   It is doubtful another grocer will take on the challenges of this location in the near future

Need a Blucy burger for lunch??

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Now three locations to go for that Blucy burger (a big burger stuffed with cheese – bleu, American, cheddar, pepper jack, or even a breakfast burger).  The Blue Door Pub has opened a new location in the Twin Cities at 1514 Como Avenue SE in Minneapolis by the University of Minnesota.  Blue Door Pub also has locations in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis and on Selby Avenue in St. Paul. 

Eat in or take out.   Some competition for Matt’s Jucy Lucy!