This afternoon, Meijer announced that it's in the home stretch of preparing its first Wisconsin locations for their grand openings. 

The new 24-hour Wisconsin supercenters – four of the company's 213 locations spread across the Midwest – will provide fresh produce, meat and dairy, a bakery, traditional grocery and merchandise offerings and a pharmacy. 

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

The Michigan-based retailer has confirmed that its two new supercenters in Grafton and Kenosha will open this June, with the following two locations in Oak Creek and Wauwatosa (across Burleigh Street from the Mayfair Collection) to open shortly after in August. In addition, the Kenosha and Oak Creek stores will also feature a convenience store and gas station, which will open about 30 days before the main supercenter in May and July, respectively. The official specific dates for the four openings will be announced about six weeks prior to their ribbon-cutting ceremonies. 

In addition, while the four store directors have already been identified, Meijer announced it plans to begin hiring more than 1,000 hourly part-time and full-time employees starting in March. 

According to Meijer, these first four Wisconsin locations opening this summer are just the start, as the retailer intends to open two to three new Wisconsin stores each year for the upcoming four years.