Giant Eagle
Encyclopedia
Giant Eagle, Inc., is a supermarket
chain with stores in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania
, Ohio
, West Virginia
, and Maryland
. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania. Supermarket News ranked Giant Eagle No. 21 in the 2009 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2008 fiscal year estimated sales of $8.0 billion. In 2005, it was the 32nd-largest privately held corporation, as determined by Forbes
. Based on 2005 revenue, Giant Eagle is the 49th-largest retailer in the United States. As of September 2007, the company had 156 company-owned and 69 franchised stores. The company also operates 128 fuel station/convenience stores under the GetGo
banner.
The company operates its corporate headquarters in a suburban Pittsburgh office park in O'Hara Township
.
. As part of their arrangement with Kroger, the families agreed to leave the grocery business for a period of three years.
In the meantime, two families, Moravitz and Weizenbaum, built their own successful chain of grocery stores named OK Grocery. In 1931, the five families combined forces to form Giant Eagle. Giant Eagle operated stores throughout Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods, and the chain grew steadily throughout the 30s and 40s, despite the desperate times of the Great Depression and World War II. From the 1950s onward, Giant Eagle was at the leading edge of modern supermarket innovation.
The chain entered Ohio in the 1980s, when it bought Youngstown wholesaler Tamarkin Company, and its Valu-King stores that were eventually converted to the Giant Eagle name. The Kent and Ravenna Ohio stores were the first to be converted at that time; the Youngstown stores then got converted years later. Around the mid or late 1990s, the Giant Eagle ("GE") chain later reached Cleveland
by acquiring the Stop-n-Shop stores in the area. Stop-n-Shop stores were family owned and operated in different areas of Cleveland. The family operators of Stop-n-Shop formed a holding company named International Seaway Foods as the main umbrella for Stop-n-Shop. In 1998, Giant Eagle acquired the International Seaway Foods and converted the Stop-n-Shop Stores into Giant Eagle Stores. Giant Eagle also purchased or opened other Northeast Ohio stores outside the Stop-n-Shop area, such as the former Apples supermarkets in the nearby Akron, Ohio
area.
The company entered the Toledo, Ohio
, market by opening two stores in the area in 2001 and 2004. Giant Eagle emerged as one of the dominant supermarket chains in Northeast Ohio, competing mainly against the New York-based Tops, from which it purchased 18 stores in October 2006. The purchases came as Tops exited the Northeast Ohio area.
Giant Eagle purchased independently-owned County Market stores, giving it a replacement store in Somerset, Penn., a new store in Johnstown, Penn., and its first Maryland stores: one in Cumberland, one in Hagerstown, and two in Frederick. The Cumberland store closed in December 2003, and the Hagerstown store closed in August 2005.
Giant Eagle has aggressively expanded its footprint in the Greater Columbus area, capitalizing on the demise of the former Big Bear
supermarket chain, and taking Big Bear's traditional place as Columbus' upmarket grocer. Giant Eagle first entered what it calls its "Columbus Region" in late 2000, opening three large newly-built stores at Sawmill and Bethel Rd., Lewis Center, and Dublin-Granville Rd., with two more following in 2002 and 2003 at Gahanna and Hilliard-Rome Rd. In 2004, Giant Eagle purchased nine former Big Bear stores in Columbus, Newark and Marietta from parent company Penn Traffic
. Giant Eagle has since expanded to several additional locations, acquiring other abandoned Big Bear stores and in newly-constructed buildings using the current Giant Eagle prototype. Giant Eagle opened its 20th Columbus-area at New Albany Road at the Ohio Rt. 161 freeway (New Albany) in August, 2007, its 21st area store at Hayden Run and Cosgray Roads (Dublin) in November, 2007, its 22nd area store at Stelzer and McCutcheon Roads (Columbus) in July, 2008 and its 23rd area store at South Hamilton Road and Winchester Pike (Groveport)
in August, 2008. A new Giant Eagle opened in Lancaster, Ohio in November 2008, and the former Big Bear located at Blacklick Crossing is undergoing an expansion and remodeling.
Giant Eagle has the highest share of any supermarket chain in the Pittsburgh area, largely due to being a de-facto monopoly
in the region (only Aldi
and stores supplied by Supervalu
such as Shop 'n Save
, FoodLand
, and Save-A-Lot
even have a presence in the area, let alone significant market share), but has lost some market share in recent years due to Wal-Mart
's construction of supercenters in the area.
Aside from Wal-Mart, Giant Eagle's last major competitor in the Pittsburgh market was, ironically, Kroger
, which had bought the original Eagle Grocery from the founders. Kroger withdrew from Western Pennsylvania
in the mid-1980's due to labor issues. The two chains still compete head-to-head in the Columbus
market and, to a lesser extent, Toledo
, Morgantown, West Virginia
, and the Wheeling
/Weirton
/Steubenville
markets.
, 122 in central, northeastern and eastern Ohio
, 2 in Morgantown
, West Virginia
, and 2 in Frederick
, Maryland
. Each store carries between 22,000 and 60,000 items, approximately 5,000 of which are branded by Giant Eagle.
Giant Eagle offers over twenty-four different departments across its stores. The range of services includes Redbox
video terminals, dry cleaning, in-store day care, and pharmacies. Giant Eagle also has banking
partnerships with Citizens Bank
, Huntington Bank
, and U.S. Bank
, all of which have their branches open inside Giant Ealge branches seven days a week except for federal holidays.
The chain has built large prototypes, and it has experimented with many departments unusual to supermarkets. Larger stores feature vast selections of ethnic and organic food, dry cleaning services, Iggle video, drive-thru pharmacies, in-store banking, Eagle's Nest (for daycare purposes while shopping), as well as in-store coffee shops and prepared foods. Prepared foods are also sold at larger GetGo locations that can accommodate a GetGo Kitchen.
The Giant Eagle stores franchised by the McKillop Family (Altoona, Bedford, Ebensburg) hold a yearly event with the American Cancer Society. The "Grocer's Fight Cancer Day" event is held the first Thursday of October. It features live entertainment, food demos, unbelievable one day deals, and games of chance. The event is in its 19th year and has raised over $600,000 dollars for the ACS.
Although older Giant Eagle locations tend to be unionized
and some are even franchised
stores, in recent years the company has started leaning toward non-union company-owned-and-operated stores.
within the City of Pittsburgh and Bethel Park
in southern Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
. The Shadyside store was expanded from 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) to 78000 square feet (7,246.4 m²), and uses sustainable design, including a green roof. The Bethel Park store is 117000 square feet (10,869.7 m²) in size. The stores offer free Wi-Fi
, churrasco
-style foods, a kosher deli, cheese cave, a smoothie
bar and other options not offered at other Giant Eagle locations. The Giant Eagle name is still evident on the logos for the rebranded stores.
The third Market District store opened on November 5, 2009 in the Pittsburgh suburb of Robinson. The store is part of the new Settlers Ridge
development, and is the largest at 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²). This store is also the largest supermarket in western Pennsylvania. It replaced the 95000 square feet (8,825.8 m²) Giant Eagle store across from Robinson Town Center. This store expanded on the successful offerings in the initial two locations. New to Market District in this store is a Crepe and Rosti bar, Candy Shop, Gelato Bar, Cooking School, Panini Station, Salad Station, and an on-site nutritionist located in the pharmacy. Also, this store is the first grocery store in the Pittsburgh area to sell beer. This location is now the Flagship Market District store, and all research and development for the chain will be conducted in this location.
The fourth Market District store opened October 14, 2010 in Upper Arlington, Ohio. This store is the first Market District in Ohio; it is part of the Kingsdale Shopping Center redevelopment project in the Columbus Metro Area. The 127000 square feet (11,798.7 m²) store replaced the 56000 square feet (5,202.6 m²) store it acquired from Big Bear several years before. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/10/14/grocery-disneyland.html?sid=101
A fifth Market District store is currently under construction for the Pittsburgh suburb of Pine Township. The 87500 square feet (8,129 m²) store which opened as a Giant Eagle in February 2008 , is undergoing a renovation and small expansion to accommodate the new products and prepared food departments. The renovation is expected to be complete in early 2012.
. This store type is thought of as an attempt by Giant Eagle to stave off Tesco
's expansion into the United States
with a similar store concept. The store is larger than a GetGo, but much smaller than a regular Giant Eagle supermarket store. However, the store offers many of the same services as a Giant Eagle, such as a deli and a drive-through pharmacy. Giant Eagle Express also offers a café
with prepared sandwiches, Giant Eagle's own Market District coffee, salad bar, and a wireless internet connection. Outside, GetGo gasoline is available.
. This store in a former Tops
Market building is 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) in size and is positioned as a discount food store, similar to competitors Save-A-Lot
and Aldi
. The store is different from a traditional Giant Eagle; it does not have an in-store bakery or the full range of Giant Eagle brands. But it does have a full range butcher shop and a limited deli. It does not participate in the Fuelperks! program, as the store format does not use the Advantage Card for sales. Giant Eagle opened its second Valu King supermarket in Ravenna, Ohio
in July 2009 and its third supermarket in Norwalk, Ohio
in December 2009 (however the Norwalk, Ohio store closed on July 3, 2010). The Valu King name of the new venture harkens back to the 1980s, when Giant Eagle bought Youngstown wholesaler Tamarkin Co. and its Valu King stores that were eventually converted to the Giant Eagle name. A fourth Valu King has been announced for a summer 2010 opening in the old Big Bear Stores building in Reynoldsburg, Ohio
. This location will occupy a third of the 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) building. There is currently a Valu King in Erie, PA, with a second one opening sometime in late 2011/early 2012.
with in-store optometry centers dubbed "Giant Eagle Optical." There were four locations in the Pittsburgh area: North Hills- McIntyre Square, South Hills- Donaldson's Crossroads, east- Monroeville, and west- Robinson. The stores accepted most major vision plans and offered a wide variety of designer frames, as well as exclusive Giant Eagle brands. They also participated in the Fuelperks! program and were staffed mostly by ABO-certified opticians. Noting that "some programs don't prove viable across a broad number of stores," Giant Eagle chose to close its Optical locations beginning in August 2009.
kiosks in some of its stores; the workers are employed by Giant Eagle, but become certified baristas after completing the process.
Local 23 of Pittsburgh, and UFCW Local 880 of Cleveland. The Maryland, Parma Heights, Toledo, and Columbus stores are not unionized, much like some independently owned stores throughout Pennsylvania and the Youngstown, Ohio area. In late 2007, Giant Eagle's Columbus division was ranked by employees through a Business First survey as one of the top ten places to work in Central Ohio. Some employees in the Eagle's Nest and Photo Lab departments are also nonunion employees.
From 2009 until 2011, the slogan was "Low prices. Uncompromising quality." In December 2009, a variation being used was "Lower prices. Uncompromising quality." for online advertisements on thepittsburghchannel.com website.
From 2001 until 2009, the slogan "Make every day taste better", was used. It was meant to showcase product quality as compared to the convenience focus used in the previous campaign.
From 1993 until 2001, "It takes a giant to make life simple." was used as the slogan. This was focused on convenience, and spawned the "Fe Fi Fo Fum" commercials. The commercials featured everything from the general store, the produce and deli departments to a spot featuring Jay Bell
and Jeff King
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
. This replaced the previous "A lot you can feel good about...especially the price" motto.
The chain, under pressure from Wal-Mart, has implemented a lower prices campaign throughout its stores, featured on products customers buy most. Giant Eagle has also reconfirmed its commitment to value by selling Topco-produced Valu Time products, which are substantially cheaper than other private-label and name-brand merchandise. These co-exist with the Giant Eagle branded items, which are priced lower than national brands yet higher than Valu Time. Before these brands existed, Giant Eagle generally used Topco's Food Club label as the generic product.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain with stores in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania. Supermarket News ranked Giant Eagle No. 21 in the 2009 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2008 fiscal year estimated sales of $8.0 billion. In 2005, it was the 32nd-largest privately held corporation, as determined by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
. Based on 2005 revenue, Giant Eagle is the 49th-largest retailer in the United States. As of September 2007, the company had 156 company-owned and 69 franchised stores. The company also operates 128 fuel station/convenience stores under the GetGo
GetGo
GetGo is a convenience store chain owned and operated by Giant Eagle. Both are based in Pittsburgh. The chain operates locations in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.-History:...
banner.
The company operates its corporate headquarters in a suburban Pittsburgh office park in O'Hara Township
O'Hara Township, Pennsylvania
The Township of O'Hara is a Home Rule Municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in the United States six miles northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh. The community was long organized as a township, and retains "Township" in its official name, but adopted a home rule charter in 1973 and is no...
.
History
In 1918, three families, Goldstein/Shapira, Porter and Chait, built a series of small grocery stores they called Eagle Grocery. They were successful, and the business grew steadily to 125 stores. In 1928, these three families sold Eagle Grocery to the Kroger CompanyKroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
. As part of their arrangement with Kroger, the families agreed to leave the grocery business for a period of three years.
In the meantime, two families, Moravitz and Weizenbaum, built their own successful chain of grocery stores named OK Grocery. In 1931, the five families combined forces to form Giant Eagle. Giant Eagle operated stores throughout Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods, and the chain grew steadily throughout the 30s and 40s, despite the desperate times of the Great Depression and World War II. From the 1950s onward, Giant Eagle was at the leading edge of modern supermarket innovation.
The chain entered Ohio in the 1980s, when it bought Youngstown wholesaler Tamarkin Company, and its Valu-King stores that were eventually converted to the Giant Eagle name. The Kent and Ravenna Ohio stores were the first to be converted at that time; the Youngstown stores then got converted years later. Around the mid or late 1990s, the Giant Eagle ("GE") chain later reached Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
by acquiring the Stop-n-Shop stores in the area. Stop-n-Shop stores were family owned and operated in different areas of Cleveland. The family operators of Stop-n-Shop formed a holding company named International Seaway Foods as the main umbrella for Stop-n-Shop. In 1998, Giant Eagle acquired the International Seaway Foods and converted the Stop-n-Shop Stores into Giant Eagle Stores. Giant Eagle also purchased or opened other Northeast Ohio stores outside the Stop-n-Shop area, such as the former Apples supermarkets in the nearby Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
area.
The company entered the Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, market by opening two stores in the area in 2001 and 2004. Giant Eagle emerged as one of the dominant supermarket chains in Northeast Ohio, competing mainly against the New York-based Tops, from which it purchased 18 stores in October 2006. The purchases came as Tops exited the Northeast Ohio area.
Giant Eagle purchased independently-owned County Market stores, giving it a replacement store in Somerset, Penn., a new store in Johnstown, Penn., and its first Maryland stores: one in Cumberland, one in Hagerstown, and two in Frederick. The Cumberland store closed in December 2003, and the Hagerstown store closed in August 2005.
Giant Eagle has aggressively expanded its footprint in the Greater Columbus area, capitalizing on the demise of the former Big Bear
Big Bear (supermarket)
Big Bear Stores was a regional supermarket chain operating in Ohio and West Virginia. The company was founded in Columbus, Ohio, and was headquartered there until its acquisition by Syracuse, New York-based Penn Traffic in 1989. For nearly 75 years, the chain was a Central Ohio...
supermarket chain, and taking Big Bear's traditional place as Columbus' upmarket grocer. Giant Eagle first entered what it calls its "Columbus Region" in late 2000, opening three large newly-built stores at Sawmill and Bethel Rd., Lewis Center, and Dublin-Granville Rd., with two more following in 2002 and 2003 at Gahanna and Hilliard-Rome Rd. In 2004, Giant Eagle purchased nine former Big Bear stores in Columbus, Newark and Marietta from parent company Penn Traffic
Penn Traffic
The Penn Traffic Company was the parent company for 79 retail grocery supermarkets in the Northeastern United States, concentrating mostly in Central New York. Its headquarters were in Syracuse, New York. Penn Traffic formerly had supermarkets also in Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire...
. Giant Eagle has since expanded to several additional locations, acquiring other abandoned Big Bear stores and in newly-constructed buildings using the current Giant Eagle prototype. Giant Eagle opened its 20th Columbus-area at New Albany Road at the Ohio Rt. 161 freeway (New Albany) in August, 2007, its 21st area store at Hayden Run and Cosgray Roads (Dublin) in November, 2007, its 22nd area store at Stelzer and McCutcheon Roads (Columbus) in July, 2008 and its 23rd area store at South Hamilton Road and Winchester Pike (Groveport)
Groveport, Ohio
Groveport is a City in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,363 at the 2010 census.Groveport was the hometown of John Solomon Rarey, a 19th century horse whisperer, and developer of the Rarey technique for rehabilitating horses...
in August, 2008. A new Giant Eagle opened in Lancaster, Ohio in November 2008, and the former Big Bear located at Blacklick Crossing is undergoing an expansion and remodeling.
Giant Eagle has the highest share of any supermarket chain in the Pittsburgh area, largely due to being a de-facto monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
in the region (only Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
and stores supplied by Supervalu
Supervalu (United States)
SuperValu Inc. is a United States grocery retailer and distributor. The corporation, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has been in business for over a century. It is the third-largest food retailing company in the United States , and ranks #51 on the Fortune 100 list.On June 2, 2006,...
such as Shop 'n Save
Shop 'n Save (Pittsburgh)
Shop ‘n Save is a locally owned and operated grocery store chain with more than 70 supermarket locations within Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and West Virginia. Established in 1968 as one of the nation's first discount grocery stores, Shop ‘n Save offers cheap name-brand and private label...
, FoodLand
FoodLand
"FoodLand" is the name of a regional American supermarket chain based in New Stanton, Pennsylvania. The stores' "F" logo are a registered trademark of Minnesota-based SuperValu stores, which serves as the chain's main wholesale distributor....
, and Save-A-Lot
Save-A-Lot
Save-a-Lot is a discount supermarket chain headquartered in Earth City, Missouri, near St. Louis, United States. The subsidiary of Supervalu comprises approximately 1,250 stores in the United States with over $4 billion in annual sales....
even have a presence in the area, let alone significant market share), but has lost some market share in recent years due to Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
's construction of supercenters in the area.
Aside from Wal-Mart, Giant Eagle's last major competitor in the Pittsburgh market was, ironically, Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
, which had bought the original Eagle Grocery from the founders. Kroger withdrew from Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
in the mid-1980's due to labor issues. The two chains still compete head-to-head in the Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
market and, to a lesser extent, Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, and the Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
/Weirton
Weirton, West Virginia
Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, United States. Most of the city is in Hancock County, with the remainder in Brooke County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,411...
/Steubenville
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
markets.
Loyalty program
In 1995, Giant Eagle introduced the "Advantage Card", an electronic loyalty card discount system (already popular in many chains), as a sophisticated version of the obsolete stamp programs. The card was later modified to double as a video rental card for Iggle Video. More recently the company has started the FUELPERKS! program to entice customers. This program allows customer the opportunity to earn 10 cents off each gallon of gas (20 cents in select markets) with fifty dollars worth of authorized purchases. This program has become widely popular in many markets, and helps to moderate price comparison shopping. In early 2009 Giant Eagle launched it new FOODPERKS! program, mainly geared towards Get Go. This program allows customers who use their fuelperks at Get Go to also earn foodperks to save on groceries purchased at Giant Eagle. Every 10 gallons of gas purchased earns a 1% discount. This can be used up to 20% max at a time on a purchase of up to $300. FOODPERKS! are good for 90 days, FUELPERKS! are good for 60 days and if the customer has more than the price of gasoline, or more than the 20%, those discounts will stay on your card for the remainder of the 90/60 days, and if they are not used by then, they expire.Operations
There are 225 store and Get Go locations in the United States: 99 in western PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, 122 in central, northeastern and eastern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, 2 in Morgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and 2 in Frederick
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Each store carries between 22,000 and 60,000 items, approximately 5,000 of which are branded by Giant Eagle.
Giant Eagle offers over twenty-four different departments across its stores. The range of services includes Redbox
Redbox
Redbox is an American company that specializes in the rental of DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, and video games via automated retail kiosks. As of the end of June 2011, Redbox had over 33,000 kiosks in over 27,800 locations....
video terminals, dry cleaning, in-store day care, and pharmacies. Giant Eagle also has banking
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
partnerships with Citizens Bank
Citizens Financial Group
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is an American bank headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, which operates in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Citizens is a wholly owned...
, Huntington Bank
Huntington Bancshares
Huntington Bancshares, Inc., is a US$53 billion Midwestern bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It is the 24th largest American bank. As of October 22, 2008, it was listed on the S&P 500...
, and U.S. Bank
U.S. Bancorp
U.S. Bancorp is a diversified financial services holding company, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States based on $330 billion in assets. U.S. Bank ranks as the sixth largest bank in the U.S. based on...
, all of which have their branches open inside Giant Ealge branches seven days a week except for federal holidays.
The chain has built large prototypes, and it has experimented with many departments unusual to supermarkets. Larger stores feature vast selections of ethnic and organic food, dry cleaning services, Iggle video, drive-thru pharmacies, in-store banking, Eagle's Nest (for daycare purposes while shopping), as well as in-store coffee shops and prepared foods. Prepared foods are also sold at larger GetGo locations that can accommodate a GetGo Kitchen.
The Giant Eagle stores franchised by the McKillop Family (Altoona, Bedford, Ebensburg) hold a yearly event with the American Cancer Society. The "Grocer's Fight Cancer Day" event is held the first Thursday of October. It features live entertainment, food demos, unbelievable one day deals, and games of chance. The event is in its 19th year and has raised over $600,000 dollars for the ACS.
Although older Giant Eagle locations tend to be unionized
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
and some are even franchised
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
stores, in recent years the company has started leaning toward non-union company-owned-and-operated stores.
Giant Eagle Market District
Giant Eagle has rebranded four of its stores as Market District, in an attempt to attract upscale shoppers. The initial two stores are located in the upscale communities of ShadysideShadyside (Pittsburgh)
Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...
within the City of Pittsburgh and Bethel Park
Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Bethel Park is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 7 miles southwest of Pittsburgh...
in southern Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
. The Shadyside store was expanded from 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) to 78000 square feet (7,246.4 m²), and uses sustainable design, including a green roof. The Bethel Park store is 117000 square feet (10,869.7 m²) in size. The stores offer free Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
, churrasco
Churrasco
Churrasco is a Portuguese and Spanish term referring to beef or grilled meat more generally, differing across Latin America and Europe, but a prominent feature in the cuisines of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and other Latin American countries...
-style foods, a kosher deli, cheese cave, a smoothie
Smoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
bar and other options not offered at other Giant Eagle locations. The Giant Eagle name is still evident on the logos for the rebranded stores.
The third Market District store opened on November 5, 2009 in the Pittsburgh suburb of Robinson. The store is part of the new Settlers Ridge
Settlers Ridge
Settlers Ridge is an open-air lifestyle center in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania about halfway between Penn Center West and the Robinson Town Centre. The $100 million shopping complex opened for business on October 30, 2009, with phase two of the development currently under...
development, and is the largest at 150000 square feet (13,935.5 m²). This store is also the largest supermarket in western Pennsylvania. It replaced the 95000 square feet (8,825.8 m²) Giant Eagle store across from Robinson Town Center. This store expanded on the successful offerings in the initial two locations. New to Market District in this store is a Crepe and Rosti bar, Candy Shop, Gelato Bar, Cooking School, Panini Station, Salad Station, and an on-site nutritionist located in the pharmacy. Also, this store is the first grocery store in the Pittsburgh area to sell beer. This location is now the Flagship Market District store, and all research and development for the chain will be conducted in this location.
The fourth Market District store opened October 14, 2010 in Upper Arlington, Ohio. This store is the first Market District in Ohio; it is part of the Kingsdale Shopping Center redevelopment project in the Columbus Metro Area. The 127000 square feet (11,798.7 m²) store replaced the 56000 square feet (5,202.6 m²) store it acquired from Big Bear several years before. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/10/14/grocery-disneyland.html?sid=101
A fifth Market District store is currently under construction for the Pittsburgh suburb of Pine Township. The 87500 square feet (8,129 m²) store which opened as a Giant Eagle in February 2008 , is undergoing a renovation and small expansion to accommodate the new products and prepared food departments. The renovation is expected to be complete in early 2012.
Giant Eagle Express
Giant Eagle Express is a recently opened concept store of Giant Eagle. As of September 2007, there is only one operating store located in Harmar Township, PennsylvaniaHarmar Township, Pennsylvania
Harmar Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,921 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.45%, is water.-Streams:Harmar Township is entirely in...
. This store type is thought of as an attempt by Giant Eagle to stave off Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
's expansion into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a similar store concept. The store is larger than a GetGo, but much smaller than a regular Giant Eagle supermarket store. However, the store offers many of the same services as a Giant Eagle, such as a deli and a drive-through pharmacy. Giant Eagle Express also offers a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
with prepared sandwiches, Giant Eagle's own Market District coffee, salad bar, and a wireless internet connection. Outside, GetGo gasoline is available.
Valu King
In December 2008, Giant Eagle opened its first Valu King supermarket in Eastlake, OhioEastlake, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,255 people, 8,055 households, and 5,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,166.5 people per square mile . There were 8,310 housing units at an average density of 1,299.1 per square mile...
. This store in a former Tops
Tops
Tops may refer to:* Jan Tops , a Dutch equestrian* Tops Markets LLC, an American supermarket chain* Tops Supermarket, a Thai supermarket chain formerly part of Tops Markets LLC* Tops , Rolling Stones song on their album Tattoo You...
Market building is 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) in size and is positioned as a discount food store, similar to competitors Save-A-Lot
Save-A-Lot
Save-a-Lot is a discount supermarket chain headquartered in Earth City, Missouri, near St. Louis, United States. The subsidiary of Supervalu comprises approximately 1,250 stores in the United States with over $4 billion in annual sales....
and Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
. The store is different from a traditional Giant Eagle; it does not have an in-store bakery or the full range of Giant Eagle brands. But it does have a full range butcher shop and a limited deli. It does not participate in the Fuelperks! program, as the store format does not use the Advantage Card for sales. Giant Eagle opened its second Valu King supermarket in Ravenna, Ohio
Ravenna, Ohio
* Chris Bangle; automobile designer* Bill Bower, last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raid* David D. Busch; best-selling author* William Rufus Day; U.S. Supreme Court justice* Calvin Hampton; Classical organist* Robert B...
in July 2009 and its third supermarket in Norwalk, Ohio
Norwalk, Ohio
At the 2000 census, there were 16,238 people, 6,377 households and 4,234 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,950.3 per square mile . There were 6,687 housing units at an average density of 803.1 per square mile...
in December 2009 (however the Norwalk, Ohio store closed on July 3, 2010). The Valu King name of the new venture harkens back to the 1980s, when Giant Eagle bought Youngstown wholesaler Tamarkin Co. and its Valu King stores that were eventually converted to the Giant Eagle name. A fourth Valu King has been announced for a summer 2010 opening in the old Big Bear Stores building in Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield, Franklin, and Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area...
. This location will occupy a third of the 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) building. There is currently a Valu King in Erie, PA, with a second one opening sometime in late 2011/early 2012.
Giant Eagle Pharmacy
Giant Eagle began adding pharmacies to their stores in the 1980s, along with other "store-within-a-store" concepts photo, floral and video rental. In 2006, Giant Eagle attracted much attention when it became the first pharmacy in the region to offer over 300 (currently over 400) generic prescription medications for $4. As of June 2008, Giant Eagle has updated the pharmacy pricing structure to include several generic prescription medications at $4 and 90 day supplies at $10. Also recently they began to offer some free antibiotics and diabetes medications. The program has been very successful for the company and the pharmacy. The pharmacies are also willing to price-match local pharmacies.Giant Eagle Optical
In October 2004, Giant Eagle began a long-term experimentLong-term experiment
A long-term experiment is an experimental procedure that runs through a long period of time, in order to test a hypothesis or observe a phenomenon that takes place at an extremely slow rate....
with in-store optometry centers dubbed "Giant Eagle Optical." There were four locations in the Pittsburgh area: North Hills- McIntyre Square, South Hills- Donaldson's Crossroads, east- Monroeville, and west- Robinson. The stores accepted most major vision plans and offered a wide variety of designer frames, as well as exclusive Giant Eagle brands. They also participated in the Fuelperks! program and were staffed mostly by ABO-certified opticians. Noting that "some programs don't prove viable across a broad number of stores," Giant Eagle chose to close its Optical locations beginning in August 2009.
Starbucks
Giant Eagle has a contract to operate StarbucksStarbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
kiosks in some of its stores; the workers are employed by Giant Eagle, but become certified baristas after completing the process.
Employees
Giant Eagle has about 36,000 employees and many of them are unionized under United Food and Commercial WorkersUnited Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
Local 23 of Pittsburgh, and UFCW Local 880 of Cleveland. The Maryland, Parma Heights, Toledo, and Columbus stores are not unionized, much like some independently owned stores throughout Pennsylvania and the Youngstown, Ohio area. In late 2007, Giant Eagle's Columbus division was ranked by employees through a Business First survey as one of the top ten places to work in Central Ohio. Some employees in the Eagle's Nest and Photo Lab departments are also nonunion employees.
Advertising
Giant Eagle currently uses the slogan "That's my Giant Eagle Advantage" with its advertising. This campaign allows customers to put their own spin on what Giant Eagle offers. The campaign includes a focus on product selection, quality, customer service, and price leadership.From 2009 until 2011, the slogan was "Low prices. Uncompromising quality." In December 2009, a variation being used was "Lower prices. Uncompromising quality." for online advertisements on thepittsburghchannel.com website.
From 2001 until 2009, the slogan "Make every day taste better", was used. It was meant to showcase product quality as compared to the convenience focus used in the previous campaign.
From 1993 until 2001, "It takes a giant to make life simple." was used as the slogan. This was focused on convenience, and spawned the "Fe Fi Fo Fum" commercials. The commercials featured everything from the general store, the produce and deli departments to a spot featuring Jay Bell
Jay Bell
Jay Stuart Bell is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and second baseman who played for the Cleveland Indians , Pittsburgh Pirates , Kansas City Royals , Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets .He played his high school baseball at J.M...
and Jeff King
Jeff King (baseball)
Jeffrey Wayne King is a former professional baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.-Career:...
of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. This replaced the previous "A lot you can feel good about...especially the price" motto.
The chain, under pressure from Wal-Mart, has implemented a lower prices campaign throughout its stores, featured on products customers buy most. Giant Eagle has also reconfirmed its commitment to value by selling Topco-produced Valu Time products, which are substantially cheaper than other private-label and name-brand merchandise. These co-exist with the Giant Eagle branded items, which are priced lower than national brands yet higher than Valu Time. Before these brands existed, Giant Eagle generally used Topco's Food Club label as the generic product.