Meijer is preparing to expand into Wisconsin with four stores that will open in the greater Milwaukee area this summer. The retailer has plans to open two to three new Wisconsin stores in each of the next four years.

“Foundations are set, floors are poured and the walls are up at our four new Wisconsin stores,” Frank Guglielmi, Meijer senior director of communications, said in a press release. “All of us at Meijer are looking forward to bringing the Meijer experience to new customers in Wisconsin this summer.”

The Grand Rapids, MI-based retailer has confirmed that its stores in Grafton and Kenosha will open this June, and its stores in Oak Creek and Wauwatosa will follow in August. The Kenosha and Oak Creek Meijer stores will also feature a convenience store and gas station.

“By the time we open these great new Wisconsin stores, we will have used 500 miles of wire, 4,000 tons of steel and 16,000 cubic yards of cement to build the four new supercenters,” Guglielmi said. “This will result in state-of-the-art stores that are the best our company has to offer.”

The retailer now has 213 stores throughout the Midwest and has grown steadily by focusing on fresh grocery options, value to customers and community partnership. The new supercenters will feature fresh produce, meat and dairy delivered seven days a week, and a bakery that offers fresh bread baked four times daily. As Meijer stores are open 24 hours a day, customers will have access to these offerings around the clock.

The retailer has a strong family and corporate tradition of caring by giving more than 6 percent of its net profit to charitable organizations each year, including significant support of hunger relief initiatives in the communities it serves. The retailer offers a food rescue program at each of its 213 stores, and has a signature program called Simply Give that has generated more than $12 million for its food pantry partners throughout the Midwest.

Meijer began establishing relationships with Milwaukee area food banks before the retailer broke ground on its new stores. For example, Meijer donated two semi-trucks and trailers to both Hunger Task Force and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, along with a total of more than 216,000 pounds of food.

“We are very pleased to continue our growth into Wisconsin,” Milwaukee Market Director Chris Hoffmann said in the press release. “We are working diligently to put together a great team to help bring the Meijer difference to customers in Milwaukee and the surrounding communities.

Hoffmann said store directors have already been identified. Longtime Meijer team members Polly Emelander and Tom Livernois, who’ve both held numerous leadership positions, have been named as the Oak Creek and Wauwatosa store directors, respectively. Wisconsin native Steve Talbert has been selected as the Grafton store director, and longtime Meijer Store Director Don Mettler has been selected as the Kenosha store director.

The retailer plans to begin the hiring of more than 1,000 new team members in March.