The city of Des Moines will consider changes to its agreement with Hy-Vee regarding the hours of operation for the supermarket chain’s downtown location.
But don’t worry: The hours at the 420 Court Ave. grocery store will remain unchanged from those currently in place: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The proposed amendment going before City Council on May 18 would replace a two-year agreement for Hy-Vee to operate from at least 8 a.m. to 8 p.m, on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The city negotiated those terms after the West Des Moines-based chain in February 2024 abruptly cut the store’s hours to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. That schedule already was well shy of the 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. originally stipulated in a development agreement for the store, which opened in 2017, and the 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. hours it maintained until reducing them to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., with city permission, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hy-Vee spokesperson Tina Pothoff said at the time that declining foot traffic since the onset of the pandemic and increasing theft and disruptive behavior in the store made the more drastic schedule change necessary.
The council’s authority to weigh in on the Court Avenue supermarket’s hours was part of a deal when it sold a city-owned lot to Knapp Properties for construction of the building that houses the store on the ground level and apartments on the upper levels.
The opening of the store culminated a yearslong effort to bring a full-service grocery provider to the central business district, which has seen a dramatic increase in its residential population dating back to at least 2000.
Will Hy-Vee have to extend its hours in the future?
Over the two years since the revised agreement, the store has adjusted its hours until reaching the current schedule. If the council approves the new agreement, it will maintain those hours for another two years.
In 2028, the amendment calls for the store to extend its hours to the initial 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. except for holidays, unless renegotiated with the city. That also was the arrangement for the expiring agreement, suggesting hours will continue to be negotiated periodically.
Kate Kealey is the growth and development reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on X at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New agreement on downtown DSM Hy-Vee hours coming. What will they be?
Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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