New Hy-Vee grocery store in Lakeville will carry clothing, too

The new Hy-Vee in Lakeville continues to expand what Twin Cities shoppers can find at their grocery stores.

The third Twin Cities Hy-Vee — following New Hope and Oakdale last September — opens Tuesday and will include a fast-fashion clothing department from F & F, a juice/smoothie bar and an expansion of grab-and-go foods.

"We have more of an urban feel of a farmers market at this store," said Tara Deering-Hansen, vice president of communications for Hy-Vee.

The changes include a new olive bar, rustic "Chophouse meats" sign, made-on-site doughnuts and bagels, and a sweets shop.

But the head scratcher for some may be the F & F boutique, a 3,300-square-feet boutique with clothes, shoes and accessories for kids, women and men. The European brand is franchised mostly in Tesco supermarkets. This is Hy-Vee's first franchise with the brand, which will be expanded in stores in Rochester, Minn., and Des Moines as well as Brooklyn Park.

The sustainably sourced clothes are priced between $8 and $45. Like most fast fashion, the line is refreshed every eight weeks. Hy-Vee Chief Executive Randy Edeker sees F & F as another example of the depth of merchandise Hy-Vee wants for its customers. "Whether it's gourmet foods or clothes, we have to adapt to the needs of our customers. Everything has to be quicker."

In other changes, the deli counters have been tweaked a bit. An Asian Grill allows customers to get a made-to-order meal, and the Cocina Mexicana grill, similar to Qdoba or Chipotle, is new. Grab-and-go entrees and side dishes have been expanded and moved closer to the entrance.

Hy-Vee enters a newly competitive Apple Valley/north Lakeville market with two Cubs, two Targets with full grocery sections, a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a newly opened Fresh Thyme. The closest grocery to the new Hy-Vee is the SuperTarget, also off Pilot Knob Road. There also are Cubs in south Lakeville and Rosemount.

The Lakeville Hy-Vee, as well as the Brooklyn Park store opening July 26, are the same size as the ones in New Hope and Oakdale, 91,000 square feet. The Brooklyn Park site will also have a separate liquor store. Lakeville Hy-Vee does not have a liquor shop because of its municipal stores.

Both new locations will include a full-service Market Grill with a bar, a pharmacy with a drive-up window, a health clinic, a dietitian and wellness department, floral shop, charcuterie, a HealthMarket section with local and organic products, Starbucks, dry cleaning and postal service, a gas station and carwash.

Other Hy-Vees in the pipeline include Eagan, to open late summer, Savage in spring 2017, and then Cottage Grove, Maple Grove and Shakopee. Edeker still plans to open four to five stores per year over the next decade. He didn't comment beyond the locations already announced but said a Minneapolis store is possible too if the right location is found.

"We're a little ahead of program for sales and profits so far," he said of the two Twin Cities stores already open. "We still feel good about this market."

In response to the Hy-Vee expansion, Cub Foods already has moved its store in Oakdale to a much larger location across from its new competitor and added a sushi bar, indoor-outdoor patio seating, a drive-up pharmacy and enhanced selections of pet foods, flowers, housewares and baby products. The company said it also has nearly completed remodeling its stores in Lakeville and Rosemount and also will convert a Rainbow location to a Cub next month and break ground soon on a new store in Blaine.

The Lakeville Hy-Vee will have 177 full-time positions and more than 500 part time. The Des Moines-based retailer is employee owned with 240 stores and $9.3 billion in yearly sales.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633