Casey’s, Fareway planning Cedar Rapids store openings

Iowa's largest convenience store chain and a privately owned supermarket chain will be opening stores in Cedar Rapids in the near future.

Ankeny-based Casey's General Stores expects to open a 4,200-square-foot store Jan. 22 at Third Street and Eighth Avenue SE in downtown Cedar Rapids. The store replaces a 2,916-square-foot location that Casey's acquired in October 2006 when it bought the 33-store HandiMart chain.

The original store, which faced Eighth Avenue SE, was constructed in 1984 on the site of a Martin Oil service station that had operated since 1942.

The new Casey's, which is the company's latest design, is located just north of the previous store and has front and rear entrances facing Second and Third Streets SE.

It will be similar in appearance and features to a Casey's that opened late last year at 560 33rd Ave. SW.

Boone-based Fareway Stores will mark the opening of its 110th location Feb. 11 at 3717 First Ave. SE in Town & Country Shopping Center. The 31,000-square-foot store will be an anchor in the oldest shopping center in the state.

Fred Greiner, Fareway president and chief operating officer, said the store will be about 7,000 square feet larger than the company's existing supermarkets in southwest Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha and Marion.

”The store will offer a meat counter, fresh produce, more organics and gluten-free foods,” Greiner said.

'It also will have a fresh bakery.”

Greiner said the Fareway is expected to revitalize Town & Country.

'We have customers who are having to drive some distance to our Cedar Rapids or Hiawatha stores and this will fill in the market for us,” Greiner said. 'There are a lot of good businesses in that area of the community, and we think that's a good place to be.”

Greiner said Fareway will hire more than 100 employees for the store.

'We also will bring in some experienced employees from our other stores,” he said. 'We expect to hire a majority of the employees from the surrounding area.”