Jacksonville’s newest grocery store is now officially open for business. The Jacksonville Hy-Vee is holding its grand opening today, capped off with a ribbon cutting that was held this morning.
The 50,000-square-foot store reopened to customers after a two-week shutdown and complete renovation. The Iowa-based company purchased the County Market at the end of September.
Store Director for both the Jacksonville and Springfield locations, Jim Blizzard says it is great to get customers back in the building. “It’s great to bring new services, new departments to the great city of Jacksonville, and to see the customer reaction when they came in at seven o’clock this morning. We were able to greet a big crowd this morning and it was pretty exciting to see and to have the life back in the building. After a couple weeks of it being a little bit quiet, to have all the customers back has been awesome.”
Blizzard says customers have been taken aback by the changes visible in the store so far. He says a herculean effort was put forth by the crews to renovate the store in just two weeks. “It’s incredible what a team can do. It’s about a group all going in one direction, all working in the same direction, and when you have two hundred sets of hands all moving in the same direction, you can get a lot done in a hurry.”
Tyler Power, Director of Government Relations for Hy-Vee corporate says they appreciate the new partnership with the city and community and look forward to serving the community both in and outside the store.
“It’s going to be a lot of community service, we’re going to offer great items and customer service is what we hang our hat on. Customer service is the start and end of the customer experience and we’re going to be super excited to be offering it here as we open the store.”
Power says the emphasis on customer service is rooted in the fact that the company is employee-owned. “It’s pride of ownership, you’re not working for anybody but for yourself and for your other team members. We’re ninety thousand strong throughout our company and we all have the same goal in serving the customer and providing the best service we can in the community.”
According to the official announcement this morning, the new store features a full selection of grocery items, a Market Grille Express with grab-and-go meal selections, a bakery section with specialty breads, a full-service meat counter, Mealtime offerings, as well as a HealthMarket featuring vitamins and sports nutrition options. An expanded produce area and floral department remain in the changeover.
Officials say additional grocery services such as Hy-Vee Aisle Online grocery pickup service is also available.