Hy-Vee's chief executive told Business Record in September that the company has "a lot of room to expand inside of the nine states that we operate today." Tennessee isn't one of them.
That matters for Spring Hill. In 2022, the Iowa grocer chose June Lake for its first Tennessee store and said it would open in 2023. In July 2025, a Hy-Vee spokesperson told the Des Moines Register the company still owns property in Tennessee but is focusing on Indiana. "We do not have a construction timeline to share for any of the locations in Tennessee at this time," she said.
Spring Hill city records show no new Hy-Vee filings since May 2023.
What Hy-Vee promised in 2022
In March 2022, Hy-Vee told the Tennessean it had secured about 17 acres at the corner of Buckner Lane and June Lake Boulevard, in the June Lake development by I-65. It was the first business announced for June Lake.
The concept plan called for:
- A 162,100-square-foot store, with room for other shops and a possible restaurant under the same roof
- A 4,100-square-foot convenience store with gas pumps
- A standalone liquor store
- 733 parking spaces and four truck docks
The store was set to open in 2023. "Hy-Vee has a great reputation and fulfills a key component of the overall vision for the community," said Don Alexander of Southeast Venture, June Lake's master planner.
2022 concept plan for the Hy-Vee store at June Lake, showing the main store, parking and a fuel station.
Source: City of Spring Hill, via Williamson Source
No drawings of the Spring Hill store's exterior have been made public. When Hy-Vee went before the Planning Commission in 2022, it shared this photo of its store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The entrance of an existing Hy-Vee store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with a glass front and a large red Hy-Vee sign.
Hy-Vee's existing store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, not a rendering of the Spring Hill store. Source: Hy-Vee, via Main Street Maury
The paper trail stops in 2023
The project moved through City Hall quickly at first:
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Planning Commission reviews the concept plan (16.1 acres, grocery and gas station) | Mar.–Apr. 2022 |
| Preliminary development plan (17.28 acres) | Jun.–Jul. 2022 |
| Board of Mayor and Aldermen approves a reimbursement agreement with Hy-Vee for utility lines along the Buckner Lane widening | Jul. 18, 2022 |
| Final plat for "June Lake Pod L, HyVee" (17.25 acres) | Aug.–Sep. 2022 |
| Revision to the development plan | Apr.–May 2023 |
After May 2023, Hy-Vee doesn't appear on any Planning Commission agenda we reviewed, through the October 26, 2026 meeting. No store has been built.
Hy-Vee pulled back
Hy-Vee once planned a four-state expansion into Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Indiana. Since then, it has dropped or paused most of it:
- Bartlett, near Memphis: paused in August 2024, then dropped in July 2025.
- Knoxville and Alabama: shelved.
- Murfreesboro: site plans were set to expire in March 2026.
- Indiana: where the company said in 2025 it is focusing its expansion.
The company has also cut back at home. It turned its Wahlburgers restaurants into Market Grille, ended partnerships with Joe Fresh and DSW, closed most in-store bars, closed production plants in Chariton and Ankeny, Iowa, closed three Iowa stores in 2024, and sold 21 Fast & Fresh convenience stores in 2026.
CEO Jeremy Gosch, who took over in 2022, pointed to inflation and higher costs in early 2024.
Why it matters to you
- Groceries: June Lake was supposed to have a full grocery store on the north end of town. For now, it doesn't.
- June Lake: Hy-Vee was meant to anchor June Lake's shops. The development's Summer 2026 update doesn't mention it. Here's what is getting built at June Lake.
- City money: stores bring in sales tax, which helps pay for city services. See how Spring Hill pays for itself.
- Sewer: even if Hy-Vee came back, new projects can't get sewer connections during the sewer moratorium that began in January 2026.
Spring Hill's other big grocery announcement is also waiting. A Sprouts planned for Duplex and Port Royal roads has no site plan yet. A Sam's Club looks closer: its real estate company bought land at Legacy Pointe, and construction bids are due Nov. 8.
What to watch for
- Hy-Vee's expansion news. Any mention of Tennessee, or any word on selling its Tennessee land.
- A new name on the June Lake site. A site plan from another grocer or developer for Pod L would mean Hy-Vee is out.
- Planning Commission agendas. Look for "Hy-Vee," "June Lake Pod L" or "Buckner Lane and June Lake Boulevard."
- The sewer moratorium. No new store opens without a sewer connection.