DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines City Council voted Monday night to finalize a new agreement with the downtown Hy-Vee location.
Back in February, hours became limited to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but Hy-Vee soon after added additional hours.
"I’m kind of irritated obviously," Liz Fleming, a downtown Des Moines resident, told Local 5 at the time. "You know, it interrupts everyone’s daily life, and I get it that it’s just groceries, but it feels so much bigger than that."
"I think there was a lot of frustration at the outset because it wasn't communicated with anyone, city included," said Ward 3 Councilmember Josh Mandelbaum. "And it was a significant cutback in hours."
The store's current hours are 7 a.m. to 7 daily. Under the new proposal, Monday through Friday hours would be, at minimum, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
A Hy-Vee spokesperson told Local 5 they will be open more than the minimum: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.
The agreement is for two years.
A Hy-Vee spokesperson shared the following statement with Local 5:
“We are pleased to see that the amendment passed. The hours listed in the amendment were the minimal hours of operation agreed upon for the store. Over the past several months, we have listened to those in the community and will try extended hours to best serve the downtown area."
Hy-Vee has cited "increased incidents" and the lack of foot traffic during COVID-19 as reasons for the modified hours. No data regarding the referenced incidents was provided.