Meijer opens Fairfax Market in Cleveland

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer has opened a Fairfax Market in Cleveland, bringing a mix of fresh, local and convenient food to customers in the city's Fairfax neighborhood.

Fairfax Market is the retailer's fifth neighborhood market and the first outside of Michigan, according to a news release. Meijer says the store is part of a broader revitalization project designed to bolster economic activity, add jobs and bring nutritious, affordable food to the Cleveland Innovation District.

"Fairfax Market represents another opportunity to serve our customers in a community that offers so much potential for growth. We've spent the last year connecting with local vendors and asking neighbors what they'd like to see in the market," Alan Jordan, store director of Fairfax Market, said in a news release. "As a result, we've worked to curate requested products and develop programs that will benefit our neighbors, such as multiple delivery options and on-site grocery pick-up."  

Jordan and his team welcomed customers into the market, the release said, followed by a ribbon-cutting event featuring remarks from Cleveland City Council President and Ward 6 representative Blaine Griffin; Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, CEO and president and Morton L. Mandel CEO chair of Cleveland Clinic; Fairfax Renaissance Executive Director Denise VanLeer; Meijer Executive Chairman Hank Meijer; and Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes.

"Meijer is committed to investing in the communities where our customers and team members live and work, and that same philosophy applies to our neighborhood stores like Fairfax Market," Keyes said in the release. "We value the northeast Ohio community and are excited to continue growing our presence here with our first grocery store in the city of Cleveland."

At 40,000 square feet, Fairfax Market offers a range of products, including fresh meat and deli items, fresh produce, a bakery and Meijer and national brand items.

"Food insecurity, or lack of access to healthy foods, is a growing problem across the country. As a social determinant of health, it can have a significant impact on a person's overall well-being," Mihaljevic said in the release. "Cleveland Clinic and Meijer share a commitment to improving the health of the communities they serve, and we appreciate their dedication to ensuring healthy food is now accessible in the Fairfax neighborhood." 

Meijer opened its first store in Ohio in 1981 and invested heavily in the state ever since. Upon the opening of Fairfax Market, Meijer said it now employs more than 11,000 team members at 53 stores statewide and its distribution and manufacturing facilities in Tipp City, Ohio, and has plans for accelerated growth in northeast Ohio. Approximately 50 team members are employed at the new market, where they earn competitive wages and have access to health and free education benefits, as well as a 401(k) program with a company match, the release said.

During the week prior to the opening, Fairfax Market demonstrated its support of the community by donating to two local organizations, according to the release. The retailer gave $15,000 to the Fairfax Recreation Center, a community hub playing a central role in the social and physical well-being of the community for more than 50 years; it also donated $10,000 to Karamu House, the oldest producing African American theatre in the nation, featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the release said.