It’s True: Hy-Vee Is Taking Over A Popular Warrensburg Store
The rumors you've been hearing about Hy-Vee coming to Warrensburg are true. This spring the Iowa based grocer who has a large presence in the Kansas City area will be taking over The Bi-Lo Country Mart in Warrensburg.
Tina Potthoff, a spokesperson for Hy-Vee, spent some time on the phone talking to me about what the community can expect from the new store, and the process of the changeover.
Hy-Vee has been at the store in Warrensburg the past couple of days meeting with employees and managers and working out the process in which the store will transition to a Hy-Vee. Ms. Pothoff told me Hy-Vee is still working through whether the store will remain open during the transition, or if it will need to close for a week or two while they make the transition.
Country Mart employees have been given a date where Hy-Vee will close on the store, however, that date could change and that may not be the day the Hy-Vee signs go up or the store is completely changed over.
Ms. Pothoff told me one of the reasons Hy-Vee became interested in the Warrensburg store is because of their amazing employees and strong culture. She also told me all Country Mart employees will get to keep their jobs and service time with Hy-Vee. Employees will be asked to go through an application process similar to applying for a job with the grocery store, but the process isn't about re-applying for their job, it's about getting employee information into Hy-Vee's human resources database.
As for the store, Hy-Vee plans to bring in their selection of meats and seafood. The store will also have a Hy-Vee bakery, pharmacy and will offer Hy-Vee's AislesOnline grocery pickup and delivery service to customers. Current customers of the pharmacy at the store will have their prescriptions transferred to the Hy-Vee pharmacy.
Hy-Vee will have a better time line of the changes coming to the store and whether it will need to close for the transition within the next couple of weeks. Also, it might not be the only town Hy-Vee is coming to in the near future.