Industry Intelligence

Dierbergs Markets’ first supermarket outside the St. Louis metropolitan area will anchor the retailer’s planned Dierbergs Lakeview Pointe shopping center in Osage Beach, Mo., at the Lake of the Ozarks.

The St. Louis-based grocery store chain has municipal approval to move forward with construction at the former High Pointe Center. Pending finalization of construction-related permits and approvals, site preparation for the $34.2 million project is likely to begin this summer.

The shopping center will be anchored by a 77,000-square-foot grocery store, the company’s 25th store and its first supermarket outside the St. Louis metro-area. A Dierbergs store in Wentzville, Mo., presently marks the company’s western-most boundary.

The supermarket will feature food options that cater to contemporary customer lifestyles, including one of the Midwest’s largest fresh-prepared foods programs for on-the-go dining or enjoyment in-store. An expansive mezzanine with indoor and outdoor dining will offer a panoramic view of the Lake of the Ozarks. The store will also include a 30-foot high Market Hall structure with natural light, trusses and other architectural details. An extensive whole-life department of organic foods and an FTD florist are among the other features planned for the store.

The center also will include an additional structure to be occupied by two to three national tenants and additional retail space attached to the supermarket.

Construction timelines and store openings for the center’s tenants will be determined as leases are signed, according to Jerry Ebest, Dierbergs VP of real estate. “There’s a lot of interest in this property from retailers who have long considered becoming part of the growing lake community,” Ebest said. “We’re having discussions with several who would be new and welcome additions to the area.”

With roots dating back to 1854, Dierbergs employs 4,000 associates in 23 St. Louis metropolitan area stores; its 24th location in the West St. Louis County suburb of Des Peres in summer 2012.