Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today
HOLDREGE — Hy-Vee opened in Holdrege on Oct. 24, and the response from customers so far has been better than expected.
“The response has been amazing,” District Store Director Adam Krepela said. “The community has embraced the store, and we’ve had tons of positive feedback. It’s been an awesome experience opening up in Holdrege.”
Krepela said sales have been better than expected so far.
On opening day, more than 100 people lined up in the Hy-Vee parking lot to receive a goodie bag when the store opened at 7 a.m. The store has maintained a steady stream of customers since that time from a large trade area.
“We’ve seen customers here from over an hour away,” Krepela said. “I’ve just appreciated that they came that far to see us.”
Holdrege Hy-Vee Managers have seen customers from as far away as McCook, 72 miles west of Holdrege, and Norton, Kansas, 65 miles south of Holdrege.
Krepela said customers have said they appreciate the full-service meat case and a large selection of bakery items, including breads, muffins, cakes, cookies and cupcakes.
Hy-Vee Holdrege has been offering daily hot meal specials, including a 3-piece hand-breaded chicken dinner on Mondays for only $6 and the popular Steak Night on Thursdays, which features a steak, potato and fresh vegetables for only $10.
Krepela has reported long lines of customers in the store waiting to purchase these “home-cooking kind of meals.”
Managers have heard from customers that they’d like to see a larger selection of gluten-free options, so they are working to meet those requests.
The Holdrege Hy-Vee is already providing nearly 60 jobs, including 13 full-time jobs, and Krepela reports that they are still seeking additional help. Benefits include the option to be paid as often as daily and a 10 percent Hy-Vee grocery discount. Health, vision and dental insurance are available to full-time employees.
Although Hy-Vee has recently been traditionally seen in larger communities, Krepela said the store began in the small town of Beaconsfield, Iowa (current population of 15) in 1930.
“Hy-Vee was a company that was founded in a small town before venturing into the bigger metros, so this takes us back to our roots and how we started as a company,” Krepela said.