Meijer opens Brunswick location

BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick Meijer officially opened its doors to the public Thursday. Store director Ken Varda said it feels awesome to finally have the grand opening. He said there was a morning crowd waiting to come into the store and the number of customers coming inside grew throughout the morning. "So far, customer perception has been absolutely great," Varda said. "There's really no concerns." First-time customers will be pleased with their experience shopping at the store, he said. "I think they'll be really impressed with the customer service they have and the selection of products we have across the store, and just the kind of value they can get here at Meijer," Varda said. Brunswick Mayor Ron Falconi said the store opening is fantastic and that it looks even better inside than when he visited last week for a preview. "The hype was just so great and I know that the people of Brunswick have already welcomed Meijer into the community and we look forward to a very long relationship with the store," he said. Meijer is a store that gives back to the community, Varda said. For example, the Brunswick store donated $20,000 to the inclusive playground project and $5,000 to Trike and Bike benefiting Velsano which helps fund pediatric cancer research at Cleveland Clinic Children's hospital. "It doesn't stop on grand opening day," Varda said. "It's a continuous, 365-day commitment that Meijer has to any community that they're in." There are more than 260 Meijer supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. This 155,000-square-foot store has a section for groceries, pharmacy, apparel, beauty, baby and pets. "We're very pleased to bring these great new stores, and the numerous convenient shopping options we offer, to families in Brunswick and Jackson Township," Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. "Our Meijer team members have worked diligently to prepare these new stores, and we're all looking forward to providing a fresh retail option for these Northeast Ohio communities." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.