Hy-Vee announced Wednesday that the West Des Moines-based company is actively working with landlords to try to fill the space at its First Avenue NE location so the property does not stay vacant once the store closes June 23.
Hy-Vee is not placing a “use restriction” on this store or its locations closing soon in Davenport and Waterloo, and announced plans to address the grocery and pharmacy gap its closures will create in these three communities.
“No business wants to close a location and that certainly includes Hy-Vee,” company spokesperson Tina Potthoff said in a statement. “Over the past several weeks, we have listened to community leaders and residents about the impact of our store closures in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Davenport. Unfortunately, these three stores have each been losing significant amounts of money for several years, and they are simply not feasible for us to operate any longer.”
City of Cedar Rapids officials shared last week that they received assurance in November that Hy-Vee extended the lease of its First Avenue NE store another five years. But the store changed ownership in January and Hy-Vee ultimately announced earlier this month it would close this store and others in Iowa.
City officials did not immediately know what Hy-Vee planned to do with the building and whether there were lease restrictions that would hinder them from recruiting another grocer.
After meeting with Hy-Vee officials this week, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said in a statement that “Hy-Vee’s representatives demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges and a commitment to collaborating on beneficial solutions.”
He said it is a “positive sign” that Hy-Vee is working with the new First Avenue NE building owner, Delaware-based Agree Limited Partnership, “to avoid vacancy after the store’s closure.”
“We are encouraged by their cooperation and hope we can continue working with them to ensure a smooth transition for our residents,” Pomeranz said.
In addition to working to fill this space, Hy-Vee announced the following steps:
Free transportation: Hy-Vee will provide a free shuttle from each closed store to the closest Hy-Vee store where pharmacy prescriptions will be transferred, allowing customers to get groceries and receive medications at the Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids, Crossroads Hy-Vee in Waterloo and West Locust Hy-Vee in Davenport.
The shuttle service will run three days a week for four hours at a time on a designated schedule starting the week of June 24 through Sept. 1. Hy-Vee will then “reevaluate their use by the community.” Hy-Vee will share more information when routes are finalized with transportation partners.
Free grocery delivery: Hy-Vee will deliver groceries for free to all residents within a one-mile radius of each store that is closing for one year when they sign up for the service.
Customers may sign up beginning June 10. More details will be announced closer to that date. Free delivery will continue through June 23, 2025. Hy-Vee will require minimum orders of $24.95.
Continuation of free pharmacy delivery: Hy-Vee will continue to provide free pharmacy delivery to Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Davenport residents. The company says it has done this for the past several years for all residents in these cities.
Increased food bank assistance: Hy-Vee is partnering with HACAP in Cedar Rapids, River Bend Food Bank in Davenport and Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo to fund, supply and staff several food distribution events in July and August to help local families while school is out for the summer.
Hy-Vee will support a mobile food pantry in the parking lots of the Hy-Vee stores on First Avenue NE in Cedar Rapids and Rockingham Road in Davenport twice a month. Neighborhoods surrounding each location will be notified of these events in late June. In Waterloo, additional protein such as meat and peanut butter will be donated by Hy-Vee to the food bank to assist those in need as a mobile unit is not available at this location.
“We value our customers and communities,” Potthoff said. “As a major employer in the area, we remain committed to supporting our local schools, food banks and other nonprofit organizations. It’s what we’ve always done and will continue to do.”
City officials on May 14 met with a work group made up of various community and nonprofit leaders to identify priorities to ensure residents could continue to access essential services after the store closes, Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a statement.
“We brought these concerns to our meeting with Hy-Vee, focusing on things like grocery delivery charges, no-cost pharmaceutical deliveries and partnerships with transportation providers and local food-access services for additional assistance during the transition,” O’Donnell said. “It was a positive meeting. We will continue to support efforts to address these challenges and meet our community’s needs.”
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Hy-Vee is not placing a “use restriction” on this store or its locations closing soon in Davenport and Waterloo, and announced plans to address the grocery and pharmacy gap its closures will create in these three communities.
“No business wants to close a location and that certainly includes Hy-Vee,” company spokesperson Tina Potthoff said in a statement. “Over the past several weeks, we have listened to community leaders and residents about the impact of our store closures in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Davenport. Unfortunately, these three stores have each been losing significant amounts of money for several years, and they are simply not feasible for us to operate any longer.”
City of Cedar Rapids officials shared last week that they received assurance in November that Hy-Vee extended the lease of its First Avenue NE store another five years. But the store changed ownership in January and Hy-Vee ultimately announced earlier this month it would close this store and others in Iowa.
City officials did not immediately know what Hy-Vee planned to do with the building and whether there were lease restrictions that would hinder them from recruiting another grocer.
After meeting with Hy-Vee officials this week, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said in a statement that “Hy-Vee’s representatives demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges and a commitment to collaborating on beneficial solutions.”
He said it is a “positive sign” that Hy-Vee is working with the new First Avenue NE building owner, Delaware-based Agree Limited Partnership, “to avoid vacancy after the store’s closure.”
“We are encouraged by their cooperation and hope we can continue working with them to ensure a smooth transition for our residents,” Pomeranz said.
In addition to working to fill this space, Hy-Vee announced the following steps:
Free transportation: Hy-Vee will provide a free shuttle from each closed store to the closest Hy-Vee store where pharmacy prescriptions will be transferred, allowing customers to get groceries and receive medications at the Oakland Road Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids, Crossroads Hy-Vee in Waterloo and West Locust Hy-Vee in Davenport.
The shuttle service will run three days a week for four hours at a time on a designated schedule starting the week of June 24 through Sept. 1. Hy-Vee will then “reevaluate their use by the community.” Hy-Vee will share more information when routes are finalized with transportation partners.
Free grocery delivery: Hy-Vee will deliver groceries for free to all residents within a one-mile radius of each store that is closing for one year when they sign up for the service.
Customers may sign up beginning June 10. More details will be announced closer to that date. Free delivery will continue through June 23, 2025. Hy-Vee will require minimum orders of $24.95.
Continuation of free pharmacy delivery: Hy-Vee will continue to provide free pharmacy delivery to Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Davenport residents. The company says it has done this for the past several years for all residents in these cities.
Increased food bank assistance: Hy-Vee is partnering with HACAP in Cedar Rapids, River Bend Food Bank in Davenport and Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo to fund, supply and staff several food distribution events in July and August to help local families while school is out for the summer.
Hy-Vee will support a mobile food pantry in the parking lots of the Hy-Vee stores on First Avenue NE in Cedar Rapids and Rockingham Road in Davenport twice a month. Neighborhoods surrounding each location will be notified of these events in late June. In Waterloo, additional protein such as meat and peanut butter will be donated by Hy-Vee to the food bank to assist those in need as a mobile unit is not available at this location.
“We value our customers and communities,” Potthoff said. “As a major employer in the area, we remain committed to supporting our local schools, food banks and other nonprofit organizations. It’s what we’ve always done and will continue to do.”
City officials on May 14 met with a work group made up of various community and nonprofit leaders to identify priorities to ensure residents could continue to access essential services after the store closes, Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a statement.
“We brought these concerns to our meeting with Hy-Vee, focusing on things like grocery delivery charges, no-cost pharmaceutical deliveries and partnerships with transportation providers and local food-access services for additional assistance during the transition,” O’Donnell said. “It was a positive meeting. We will continue to support efforts to address these challenges and meet our community’s needs.”
After closing stores, Hy-Vee to offer free grocery, pharmacy delivery, no building restrictions
Hy-Vee announced it is working with landlords to try to fill the spaces at its First Avenue NE and other closed locations so the properties do not stay vacant once the stores close in June. Hy-Vee is not placing a “use restriction” on these stores and announced plans for free grocery and...
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