What Does Giant Eagle’s Future Look Like?
The regional supermarket chain was recently sold to Kroger for $1.65 billion, but officials promise consistency.
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In 1918, three families — Goldstein, Porter and Chait — joined forces to build a small grocery company called Eagle Grocery. More than a century later, the product of their labor, Giant Eagle, is a household name for Pittsburghers, with a portfolio of more than 190 retail locations and upward of 36,000 employees across its footprint in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.
But word of a recent merger has some wondering what the regional chain’s future may look like.
On July 1, Cincinnati-based Kroger announced that it has acquired Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion in a transaction that Kroger calls “a strong strategic fit.” In a statement, Greg Foran, CEO at Kroger, says Giant Eagle is a “well run, high-quality regional grocer with a strong reputation,” and that the retailer’s portfolio provides “a strong foundation for growth.”
He adds that the purchase will expand Kroger’s reach into adjacent markets, “allowing [Kroger] to do what we do best: Run outstanding stores, deliver fresh foods and convenient meal solutions at affordable prices and take care of our customers and associates every single day.”
As for Giant Eagle, their officials say customers shouldn’t worry; they won’t see much of a change on their end.
In an email to Pittsburgh Magazine, Giant Eagle CEO Bill Artman says the company expects to maintain its headquarters in Cranberry, operate under the same leadership and “stay true to the same culture and commitment … that has defined Giant Eagle for decades.”
“As part of Kroger, Giant Eagle will retain its name and its commitment to serving its customers as it always has — with the same familiar supermarkets and pharmacies, high-quality products and services and dedicated team members,” Artman says.
Giant Eagle will also continue to run its Giant Eagle Supermarket, Giant Eagle Pharmacy and Market District brands as a division of Kroger, similar to how Kroger operates its other divisions, which include Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer.
The company will also maintain its Giant Eagle myPerks loyalty program while “exploring additional opportunities to expand its reach,” Artman says.
According to a press release distributed by Kroger, the two companies may make “limited Giant Eagle store divestitures” in order to obtain the “requisite regulatory clearance necessary to consummate the transaction.” In other words, a few Giant Eagle locations may be shuttered as part of the deal, which is expected to close in 2027, but neither Giant Eagle nor Kroger was able to comment on which stores, or how many, may be affected.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time Kroger has been part of the chain’s history.
In 1928, the Goldstein, Porter and Chait families sold Eagle Grocery’s 125 stores to the Kroger Company, according to the “History” section on Giant Eagle’s website. As part of their arrangement, the families agreed to leave the grocery business for three years, but in 1931, they joined forces with the Moravitz and Weizenbaum families, who owned and operated OK Grocery, to form the Giant Eagle we know today. The first location opened on Brownsville Road in 1936.
