![GiantFoodStoresLogo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/GiantFoodStoresLogo.png)
The Giant Company (formerly known as Giant Food Stores) is an American regional
supermarket chain that operates stores in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, and
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
and provides online shopping and delivery to New Jersey through Giant Direct. The chain operates full-scale supermarkets under the Giant and Martin's banners along with small-scale urban stores under the Giant Heirloom Market banner.
Giant is a subsidiary of
Ahold Delhaize
Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (in Dutch literally "Royal Ahold Delhaize"), commonly known as Ahold Delhaize, is a Dutch multinational retail and wholesaling company. Its name comes from a merger between Ahold (Dutch) and Delhaize Group (Belgi ...
, which also owns similarly-named
Giant Food of
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 25,998.
Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the so ...
, often known as Giant-Landover; to distinguish from that chain, whose stores also operate under the Giant banner (albeit with a different logo), The Giant Company is often referred to as Giant-Carlisle or Giant/Martin's. A significant difference between the two chains is that Giant-Landover (of more urban Central Maryland) is unionized while Giant-Carlisle (of South-Central Pennsylvania) is non-union, with the exception of stores in Lewistown and Burnham, Pennsylvania. As of September 2020, the company operated 190 stores, 133 pharmacies, 105 fuel stations and 175 grocery pickup hubs.
Sister companies include
Food Lion
Food Lion is an American regional grocery store chain headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, that operates over 1100 supermarkets in 10 states of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States (Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North ...
,
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, known as Stop & Shop, is a regional chain of supermarkets located in the northeastern United States. From its beginnings in 1892 as a small grocery store, it has grown to include 406 stores chain-wide.
Sto ...
, and
Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford is an American supermarket chain based in Scarborough, Maine. Founded in Portland, Maine, in 1883, Hannaford operates stores in New England and New York. The chain is now part of the Ahold Delhaize group based in the Netherlands, an ...
; which are all subsidiaries of Ahold Delhaize and carry many of the same private-label brands and products, such as ''Nature’s Promise''.
History
Early history
The retail company launched in 1923 when David Javitch opened a small meat market in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania called Carlisle Meat Market. In 1936, Javitch purchased a store in
Lewistown, Pennsylvania
Lewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the '' Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area'', which encompasses all of Mifflin County. It lies along the Juniata Riv ...
, which he named the Giant Shopping Food Center. It was a major change from the original Carlisle Meat Market in that it was a total
grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
. The new store offered dry goods and perishables under one roof; a new concept at that time. The store was a success, and soon a decision was made to expand the original Carlisle store from a basic meat market into a full-fledged
grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
.
The business also experienced a number of setbacks. Prior to purchasing the Lewistown store, Javitch purchased a store in
Hagerstown, Maryland, that opened and closed within the same month. In addition, his main store in Carlisle was destroyed by fire, and the Lewistown store was completely flooded on two separate occasions.
Expansion
After each setback, Javitch started over and the stores continued to grow in the 1950s. Shopping malls became a new American experience with the population moving outside of the cities and into the suburbs, and Javitch took advantage of the strip malls dotting the landscape. As a result, the company embarked on a plan of steady growth, opening new stores in suburban areas. Javitch moved his downtown Carlisle store to a newly built structure at 100 North Hanover Street in 1953, renaming it Carlisle Food Market. The Carlisle store was very modern for its time, with features like a parking lot, baggers, and outside lighting. A second Carlisle Food Market location opened in 1964 at the Carlisle Plaza Shopping Center. The company continued to open other stores under the Giant Foods name. In 1968, the ninth store opened in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. David Javitch became chairman of the board, passing the presidency to his son, Lee Javitch. The company's growth accelerated with the purchase of the Martin’s chain (though these stores retain the Martin’s name to this day) in Hagerstown, Maryland. The company purchased the Martin's chain, based in
Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1969, and expanded to New Jersey in 1970, opening three stores under the name Clover-Markets. In 1972, Nick Riso joined the company as vice president of sales and operations. A new merchandising effort began with the introduction of "Everyday Low Prices." By 1973, the company's 50th anniversary, the company operated a total of 18 stores. In 1974, David Javitch died, and Lee established the David Javitch Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit children of Giant/Martin’s employees. As the 1970s closed, 24 stores were in operation. Nick Riso was appointed president, and Lee Javitch assumed the position of chairman. As the 1980s approached, the company had grown to a workforce of 3,400.
1981 acquisition by Ahold
![Giant gas Trexlertown](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Giant_gas_Trexlertown.JPG)
In 1981, the Javitch family sold the company to
Royal Ahold Corporation, a food retailing business based in
Zaandam
Zaandam () is a city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam.
The statistical district Zaand ...
, the Netherlands. At the time of the agreement, Giant was operating 29 supermarkets. Throughout the 1980s, Giant continued to grow. In 1988, Allan Noddle assumed the position of President of Giant Food Stores, as the 50th Giant store opened. Noddle served as a spokesman in Giant's radio and television
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
campaigns.
The late 1980s through mid-1990s saw a complete modernization of Giant and Martin's stores as remodels, expansions, and interior upgrades were completed in virtually every store within the chain. In addition, many new customer conveniences were added including in-store banks,
pharmacies
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...
,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
kitchens,
coffee shops
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
,
photo processing
Photographic processing or photographic development is the chemical means by which photographic film or paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image. Photographic processing transforms the latent image in ...
, and
dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water.
Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known i ...
services. By the end of 1996, Giant had grown to 75 stores.
1997 brought major changes in the company's history as Giant
merged
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
with Edwards Super Food Stores, another Ahold-owned company. Upon completion of the merger, Giant was operating two
divisions, with 23,000 employees in six states including Maryland,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
,
New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Additionally, Tony Schiano became president and CEO of Giant.
2000s
As 2000 approached, Giant Food Stores underwent many
technological
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
changes. In addition, the first new
prototype store opened in
Hellertown, Pennsylvania
Hellertown is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Its population was 6,132 at the 2020 census. Hellertown is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th most populous metropolitan area ...
and additional new stores opened with shopping conveniences for customers including
gas stations
A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Gaso ...
, full-service
floral
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
departments,
smoothie
A smoothie is a beverage made by puréeing ingredients in a blender. A smoothie commonly has a liquid base, such as fruit juice or milk, yogurt, ice cream or cottage cheese. Other ingredients may be added, including fruits, vegetables, non-dai ...
and
juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
bars, expanded
deli
Deli may refer to:
* Delicatessen, a shop selling specially prepared food, or food prepared by such a shop
* Sultanate of Deli, a former sultanate in North Sumatra, Indonesia
Places
* Deli, Boyer-Ahmad, a village in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Pro ...
and
bakery
A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...
departments, and
organic produce
Organic food, ecological food or biological food are food and drinks produced by methods complying with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological ...
. The new
millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
brought about additional change within the organization, as Edwards transitioned to another Ahold-owned company,
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, known as Stop & Shop, is a regional chain of supermarkets located in the northeastern United States. From its beginnings in 1892 as a small grocery store, it has grown to include 406 stores chain-wide.
Sto ...
. The Edwards stores throughout New Jersey and New York were remodeled and reopened under the Stop & Shop banner. With the major change, Giant concentrated on its plans to expand, and opened stores in new market areas such as
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. T ...
. In 2001, Giant formed an alliance with another Ahold company,
Tops Markets, LLC
Tops Friendly Markets is an American supermarket chain based in Amherst, New York, that operates stores in Upstate New York, Vermont, and Northern Pennsylvania. The chain operates full-scale supermarkets. Tops is a subsidiary of Northeast Groc ...
in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. The new partnership, called Shared Services, was designed to allow both companies to continue to operate individually as separate and distinct businesses while partnering to support corporate functions. U-Scan
self checkout
Self-checkouts (SCOs), also known as assisted checkouts (ACOs) or self-service checkouts, are machines that provide a mechanism for customers to complete their own transaction from a retailer without needing a traditional staffed checkout. When ...
registers were implemented company-wide, and a new
marketing campaign
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to empha ...
, "Quality. Selection. Savings. Every Day" was introduced. Giant Food Stores also began sponsoring the
Giant Center
Giant Center is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place in the Harrisburg metropolitan area. It is home to the Hershey Bears ice hockey team, the longest-existing member of the American Hockey League ...
arena in
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey.
The community is lo ...
, the home of the
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season maki ...
hockey team, as well as the Skyview at
Hersheypark
Hersheypark (known as Hershey Park until 1970) is a family theme park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about east of Harrisburg, and west of Philadelphia. The park was founded in 1906 by Milton S. Hershey as a leisure park for the employees of ...
.
Major organizational change occurred in January 2003. Ultimately, Shared Services evolved to the extent that Tops was fully integrated into the Giant organization. On October 12, 2005, Giant opened the doors on a new "Super Giant" in
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is southwest of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 7,888 at the 2010 census. There are many large corporations bas ...
, in part due to competition from
Wegmans
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a privately held American supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Gates, New York, and was founded in 1916 in Rochester.
As of , Wegmans has 110 stores, mostly in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions. T ...
supermarkets moving into the area. Another new Super Giant opened in
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington To ...
on March 5, 2008, with a total area of , making it Giant's largest store in Pennsylvania.
On September 6, 2006, Jack Clemens of
Clemens Family Markets Inc. and his family sold 14 of their 22 stores to Royal Ahold, and eight to C&S Wholesalers. Thirteen of the Ahold stores were rebranded as Giant and one remained branded FoodSource (which was Clemens' upscale gourmet banner), while C&S immediately sold six of the stores to
A&P, which re-branded them
SuperFresh stores.
On February 1, 2007, Carl Schlicker assumed responsibility as CEO of Giant/Tops, replacing the retiring Schiano.
A year later, on July 10, 2008, Royal Ahold announced that Sander van der Laan, at the time the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising for
Albert Heijn (a Dutch supermarket chain owned by Ahold), had been appointed president and CEO of Giant-Carlisle, succeeding Carl Schlicker who had been appointed president and CEO of
Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover.
On October 11, 2007, Ahold USA announced the sale of Tops Markets, LLC to
Morgan Stanley Private Equity
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
, separating Giant-Carlisle from Tops. It was announced on December 17, 2009, that Giant-Carlisle would purchase the
Ukrops
Ukrop's is an American company that operates a central bakery and kitchen producing baked goods and prepared meals. Its baked goods are marketed under Good Meadow and Ukrop's brand. In 1976 Ukrop's bought Dot's Pastry Shop, a well-known bakery in ...
chain, expanding their market further into Virginia. These stores operated under the Martin's banner.
2010s
![GiantHeirloomMarket](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/GiantHeirloomMarket.svg)
On January 7, 2010, it was announced that Rick Herring would become the new president and CEO of Giant-Carlisle.
Giant opened its first grocery store within the limits of the City of Philadelphia in 2011 on Grant Avenue. As of December 14, 2011, Giant and Martin's together have 92 gas stations and they have more than 180 stores in four states.
On January 5, 2012, Giant announced it would acquire 16
Genuardi's
Genuardi's Family Markets Limited partnership, L.P. was a chain of supermarkets located in the Northeastern United States. Family-owned until purchased by Safeway Inc., Safeway in 2000, Genuardi's had its headquarters in the Bentwood Executive ...
Family Markets across the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
area in a $106 million deal.
In January 2018, Nicholas Bertram became the new President of Giant/Martin's following Tom Lenkevich’s retirement.
In November 2018, Giant-Carlisle announced that it would acquire 5
Shop 'n Save
Shop ’n Save was a grocery store chain in the Greater St. Louis market with 36 stores at its peak. The company, headquartered in Kirkwood, Missouri, was a wholly owned subsidiary of SuperValu, based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
SuperValu a ...
supermarkets from
SuperValu, Inc. and operate them under its Martin's Food Markets banner. In 2019, the Giant also acquired one store from Ferguson & Hassler and three stores from Musser’s Markets in Pennsylvania.
In 2019, Giant began the rollout of a robotic assistant named "Marty" to all of its locations. "Marty" travels unassisted around the store and checks for hazards. The addition of the robotic assistant to stores allows for employees to spend more time engaging with customers.
In 2019, Giant introduced Giant Heirloom Market, a smaller store format designed for urban areas. The first Giant Heirloom Market location opened on January 25, 2019, in the
Graduate Hospital
Southwest Center City (SWCC), also known as Graduate Hospital, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bordering Center City Philadelphia. The neighborhood is bordered on the north by South Street, on the south by Washington Avenue, on the west ...
neighborhood in Philadelphia. Giant Heirloom Market has also opened locations in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of
University City and
Northern Liberties
Northern Liberties is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to its incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854, it was among the top 10 largest cities in the U.S. in every census from 1790 to 1850.
Boundaries
Northern Liberties is loc ...
. The Northern Liberties location also features an underground taproom.
In August 2019, Giant announced it would open a two-story, flagship store in
Center City Philadelphia
Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous wi ...
as part of the Riverwalk development along the
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...
. The store, which features dedicated shelf space for local vendors, an outdoor terrace, and a free parking garage, opened on March 19, 2021.
In February 2019, the company launched its first
e-commerce
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain managem ...
hub Giant Direct brand for online pickup and delivery orders.
2020s
In February 2020, Giant Food Stores announced its plans to adopt a new name, The Giant Company, and update logos across its grocery retailer business locations. In August 2020, following the re-branding campaign, the company introduced a new slogan "For Today's Table", with the focus on family values.
According to a number of sources, the grocery chain had temporarily to limit some of the vital products in the beginning of the
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
but over time resumed back to normal practice. The company's officials also used public social media channels to discourage hoarding. Among other measures were reserved shopping time for customers age 60 and older, changing store hours and contactless delivery for online grocery orders through Giant/Martin’s Direct.
In March 2021, Glennis Harris joined The Giant Company as senior vice president of customer experience.
In November 2021, the Giant company opened a new Giant Direct E-commerce Fulfillment Center (EFC) on Island Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A 124,000-square-foot facility operates as a distribution center for Giant Direct online orders as well as
brick and mortar
Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...
customers in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey with the claimed capacity of about 15,000 home delivery orders per week. The supermarket chain also partnered with robotics provider Swisslog to automate routine processes in its distribution center, which includes the installation of AutoStore’s robotic storage and retrieval system.
In November and December, Giant opened three new supermarkets – two in Philadelphia (a 67,000-square-foot store at 2201 Cottman Avenue and a 46,000-square-foot store at 1403 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard) – and the third in Bucks county, a 72,500-square-foot store in the Cross Keys Place shopping center at 4377 West Swamp Road in Doylestown. On December 16, 2021, a Giant Heirloom Market location opened in the ground level of the former
Strawbridge & Clothier flagship department store at the
Fashion District Philadelphia
Fashion District Philadelphia is a shopping mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, located in Center City along Market Street. It opened in 2019 on the site of a previous mall known as The Gallery and later renamed The Gallery at Mar ...
. The company retrofitted the 32,000-square-foot space of the historical building while preserving its interior design elements.
Giant also announced plans to open two more stores in Philadelphia – a 50,000-square-foot supermarket on North Broad Street and a 40,000-square-foot supermarket on South Broad Street at the corner of Washington Avenue.
On January 6, 2022, Parag Shah was appointed as the company's VP-omnichannel merchandising center store.
Martin's Foods
![Martins, former Ukrops store](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Martins%2C_former_Ukrops_store.jpg)
Martin's Foods is a chain of supermarkets operating in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. Like Giant stores, they are operated by Giant-Carlisle and are owned by Ahold Delhaize. The stores are generally identical to Giant-Carlisle stores. In 1998, when Ahold purchased
Giant-Landover
Giant Food of Maryland, LLC, also known as Giant, is an American supermarket chain with 169 stores and 159 full service pharmacies located in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.https://stores.giantfood.com/ , giantfoo ...
, some Martin's stores were closed and sold to other chains to comply with
Federal Trade Commission regulations. These locations included stores in
Frederick Frederick may refer to:
People
* Frederick (given name), the name
Nobility
Anhalt-Harzgerode
*Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670)
Austria
* Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198
* Frederick ...
,
Carroll,
Harford and
Cecil
Cecil may refer to:
People with the name
* Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name)
* Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Canada
*Cecil, Alberta, ...
counties in Maryland, where the Giant of Landover name was seen as more dominant. However, two stores in this area, in
Eldersburg and in
Rising Sun, were not sold and continue to operate as Martin's to this day.
The chain, along with Giant-Carlisle, implemented the Bonuscard program in 2000. Around that same time, the chain began selling gasoline in front of its stores.
Since August 2020, the chain's new slogan is "For Today's Table".
"Quality. Selection. Savings. Everyday" and "We're with You" were previously used slogans. The majority of Martin's stores are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Martin's is strong in its trade area, usually being first in market share.
The Martin's name originates from a small chain based in
Hagerstown, Maryland. Giant-Carlisle purchased Martin's while expanding in 1968. The name, once known only in Hagerstown, was expanded into nearby
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
Waynesboro is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on the southern border of the state. Waynesboro is in the Cumberland Valley between Hagerstown, Maryland, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of Chambersburg, PA Micropolitan Sta ...
;
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...
;
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...
; and
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...
. The chain has since expanded further west into Maryland's
Allegany County, into West Virginia's
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
and
Mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...
counties, into Virginia's
Culpeper and
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...
counties, and as far south as
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Econ ...
. The Martin's name was extended into west central Pennsylvania upon the purchase of corporate-owned Jubilee Foods stores; these stores use the Martin's banner instead of Giant to avoid confusion with
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
-based
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle, Inc. (Western Pennsylvania English: ) and stylized as giant eagle) is an American supermarket chain with stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylv ...
, which has stores in many of those same markets. Martin's now operates stores in
Altoona,
Duncansville
Duncansville is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Duncansville is one of the communities that comprises the Altoona Urban Area. The population was 1,258 at the 2020 ...
,
Connellsville
Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and away via the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 7,637 at th ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, and
DuBois. Despite these locations being located relatively close to Pittsburgh, the Connellsville location is the only store located within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and Martin's currently has no plans to further expand there, mainly due to Giant Eagle's tight grip on the market there.
With the purchase of
Ukrops
Ukrop's is an American company that operates a central bakery and kitchen producing baked goods and prepared meals. Its baked goods are marketed under Good Meadow and Ukrop's brand. In 1976 Ukrop's bought Dot's Pastry Shop, a well-known bakery in ...
Super Markets, Martin's moved even farther into central Virginia, with stores as far south as
Petersburg and as far east as
Williamsburg. Among the notable differences in the
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
and Williamsburg stores were that they maintained the Ukrops recipes and brand in the bakery and prepared foods departments, and associates usually carried customers' groceries to their vehicles. These locations offered the
Fuelperks branded fuel program instead of that offered at other Martin's stores. Martin's exited the Richmond metropolitan area in 2017, closing some stores and selling the remainder to
Publix Super Markets
Publix Super Markets, Inc., commonly known as Publix, is an employee-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and ...
. The latter was due to Ahold's merger with
Delhaize Group
Delhaize Group SA (, ) was a Belgian multinational retail company headquartered in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Brussels, Belgium, and operated in seven countries and on three continents. The principal activity of Delhaize Group was the operation of f ...
, the parent company of
Food Lion
Food Lion is an American regional grocery store chain headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, that operates over 1100 supermarkets in 10 states of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States (Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North ...
, which has several stores in the Richmond area, some of which were located in close proximity to the Martin's stores.
Renewable energy projects
In June 2020, The Giant Company accomplished its first solar project at the company's corporate headquarters in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which included a 625kw rooftop solar array. Later that summer, the company added a seven-acre
pollinator-friendly solar field at its Carlisle, Pennsylvania headquarters.
In November 2021, the Giant Company made a long-term agreement with energy provider Constellation to supply its operations in Pennsylvania for select stores, fuel stations, and distribution centers with renewable energy. According to the report, the company is scheduled to receive 155 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year. As of 2022, the company was at the stage of getting permits and installation and planning to sell excess energy to the grid.
Sponsorships and charity
In 2018, Giant became official grocer of the
Philadelphia Phillies and in October 2019 the company became official partner of the
Philadelphia 76ers. In 2018, Giant also entered into a multi-year agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) is a cabinet-level agency in Pennsylvania. The department's purpose is to support a sustainable and safe supply of food and agricultural products; be good stewards of the land and natural resources; ...
to become the official sponsor of the Exposition Hall at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center
Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, formerly known as State Farm Show Arena, is a large exhibition center and indoor arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is primarily used for concerts, agricultural exhibitions, the Pennsylvania Far ...
in Harrisburg. The Giant Company has been engaged in other charity endeavors such as the
Please Touch Museum
The Please Touch Museum is a children's museum located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum focuses on teaching children through interactive exhibits and special events, mostly aimed at children seven years ...
, the
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and more.
The company also collaborates with the
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) is the municipal department responsible for managing parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, trails, community gardens, and historic properties in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its inventory includes more than 15 ...
Organization to finance sports and recreation projects.
In January 2022, Giant donated $1million to Pennsylvania’s
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, commonly referred to as Harrisburg University (HU), is a private STEM-focused university in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with an additional location in Philadelphia. Founded in 2001 as Harrisburg Polyte ...
to fund its 23,000-square-foot Research and Education Center for Advanced Agriculture and Sustainability.
The grocery chain has also a long-term philanthropic relationship with the
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) and supports the university's various associated projects, including Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Children’s Miracle Network (CMN).
See also
*
Genuardi's
Genuardi's Family Markets Limited partnership, L.P. was a chain of supermarkets located in the Northeastern United States. Family-owned until purchased by Safeway Inc., Safeway in 2000, Genuardi's had its headquarters in the Bentwood Executive ...
*
Giant Food of Landover, Maryland
Giant Food of Maryland, LLC, also known as Giant, is an American supermarket chain with 169 stores and 159 full service pharmacies located in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.https://stores.giantfood.com/ , giantfo ...
References
External links
Giant Food StoresList of all Giant locationsMartin's Food MarketsList of all Martin's locations
{{Supermarkets of the United States
Ahold Delhaize
American companies established in 1923
Retail companies established in 1923
Companies based in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Supermarkets of the United States
1923 establishments in Pennsylvania
American subsidiaries of foreign companies
1981 mergers and acquisitions