Midwestern discount chain Meijer kept its focus on “smaller” stores last month with the grand opening of a Meijer Marketplace in Melrose Park, IL.The 96,000-square-foot store is about half the size of Meijer’s traditional supercenters, meaning the Grand Rapids, MI-based retailer had to carefully evaluate and edit the merchandise selection to fit the needs of local shoppers.“The key takeaway is really getting involved in the community,” director of public relations Frank Guglielmi told the Institute. “This is a research-driven store in terms of who the customer is and getting involved [with her]. That’s really driven us to the deep localization that we have in this store.”That research led to a localized grocery selection with a heavy emphasis on Hispanic foods such as cactus leaves, sugar cane and aloe leaves stocked in a dedicated department, as well as bilingual aisle markers to designate other departments and categories. (About 70% of the Melrose Park population is Hispanic, according to 2010 U.S. Census data.) With major competitors Jewel-Osco and Target operating right across the street, the retailer is counting on the tailored grocery offering to set it apart.Much like the smaller-format stores that the retailer opened in Niles and Orland Park, IL, in 2010 (without the “Marketplace” moniker), the Melrose Park store puts a heavy emphasis on grocery but also carries scaled-down general merchandise departments including seasonal, toy, home, kitchen and bath, and pets. It also does not carry shoes or furniture. Unlike the Niles location, however, Meijer Marketplace also has departments for apparel, electronics, plumbing & electric, hardware, automotive, and sporting goods, despite being about 6,000 square feet smaller. True to its grocery format, shoppers encounter the produce department and bakery as soon as they walk into the store's right entrance, and the pharmacy and health and beauty departments when they enter from the left. Produce and other grocery command the store's right side, with the left side devoted to general merchandise. (See map in Related Images.) In between, the home, apparel, baby, floral, greeting card and wine & spirits departments reside near the front, adjoining checkout. Behind them are 13 aisles of gondolas for shelf-stable and frozen food items.The store's grand opening included an example of the aforementioned community involvement, with Meijer presenting a $25,000 check to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church to help fund its local food bank and youth programs. Shoppers were encouraged to lend a hand by purchasing $5 donation cards distributed on standees around the store.Elsewhere, employees handed out “Markets of Meijer” scratch-off game pieces that instantly awarded free product and store cards of $50 and $100. Distributed from the grand opening on Aug. 25 until Sept. 7, the game pieces also carried a mail-in form for a sweepstakes running through Dec. 31 that will award five $1,000 shopping sprees.Other grand-opening promotions included a sweeps awarding “free groceries for a year” in the form of 52 $100 store cards. Consumers entered at in-store stations from Aug. 25 to Sept. 7. During the store’s first week, the first 100 shoppers each day received a free private-label product. Stanchion signs and a circular insert supported. Radio Disney broadcast from the store on Aug. 27 as part of the grand-opening festivities, which also included face painting and crafts.In other promotions, local circulars contained the insert with a coupon delivering $20 off a pharmacy purchase. Local radio spots also touted the new location.Guglielmi noted that Marketplace does not signal an end to Meijer’s traditional supercenter strategy. “Most likely you’ll see more of [those] in other markets,” Guglielmi said. Meanwhile, another Meijer Marketplace reportedly is already in the works for a 2012 launch in Evergreen Park, IL.The retailer has opened 13 stores in the Chicago area since arriving in 1999 and currently operates 196 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.