DES MOINES – Hy-Vee, a leader in retail health and wellness, is opening its first stand-alone HealthMarket store to build out new offerings and experiment with new health-focused store formats, according to a company press release. At 15,700 square feet, the inaugural store in West Des Moines, Iowa, is a considerable expansion of Hy-Vee’s existing in-store health departments, which are about a third of the size.

The standalone HealthMarket features products and services available in the in-store departments such as fresh produce, quality meat, a full-service pharmacy, health clinic and sports nutrition area. New features include a hearing station that offers a grocery store-brand hearing aid, a connected doorway to the neighboring fitness studio, an on-staff dietician and a diabetic management program. There also will be a hydration station that offers nitro coffee, kombucha and Bevi infused waters. There will be a total of 11,000 items offered.

More and more grocers are prioritizing healthy living and incorporating health departments and wellness services into retail establishments. With the new stand-alone concept, Hy-Vee can experiment with ways to boost customer loyalty in the health-conscious community. The company hopes to open 60 HealthMarket stores—including two more by the end of the year.