Hy-Vee explores smaller store model

DES MOINES, Iowa Hy-Vee has announced plans to try out a smaller version of its normal supermarkets, in an effort to please customers who turn away from large, spread out stores, according to published reports. The new store will be located in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The smaller format store will offer a smaller variety of product but will provide customers with most of the basic items they generally shop for, such as packaged and canned goods, produce, dairy and meat departments, according to Hy-Vee’s chief executive officer Ric Jurgens.

“We think there is a value in developing a smaller store model with a limited assortment of merchandise,” said Jurgens. “It was important to us to come up with a format that would be intriguing, practical and successful. We think we’ve found one.”

The store will be about 20,000 to 25,000 square feet larger than a convenience store. The company is still drawing up floor plans for the new store, with more details expected within the next month or two.