ONALASKA, Wis. – The Iowa-based grocery chain Hy-Vee plans o install a store in the old Sears location in largely vacant Valley View Mall. Mall manager Jeff Odom said Hy-Vee will generate traffic. The mall has its anchors in changing shopping patterns including Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Herberger and Sears. The only remaining anchor is a Barnes & Noble super bookstore. Odom called Barnes & Noble “a niche that works.”
Hy-Vee has 245 locations in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The LaCrosse market fits the company’s distribution system. Nearby stores: Eau Claire (planned), Madison, Rochester, Winona.