Giant Eagle Plans to Close Five Supermarkets and Four GetGos Across Three States
PITTSBURG, PA - Giant Eagle has announced a slew of store closures set to take effect in the next three months.
The retailer is planning to immediately close five supermarkets and four GetGo Café + Market locations across two states—Ohio, Maryland—with the additional closure of two supermarkets in Pennsylvania pending, according to local news source the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.
Some in the industry have attributed the store closures to increased competition among discount retailers.
"There is increased competition among the chains and there is a blurring of the channels, meaning that you now have dollar stores competing with food stores and pharmacies with food departments," remarked Alex Baloga, Vice President of External Relations for the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, to news source GoErie. "This is happening…across the country. The competition, especially in the food industry, is fierce.”
GetGo locations in Altoona, PA, and Frederick, MD, are expected to close as early as January 17.
Meanwhile, three supermarkets and one GetGo in central Ohio near Columbus, and two supermarkets and another GetGo in northeastern Ohio near Cleveland, are slated to be closed between February 4 and March 4.
The additional shutdown of two supermarkets in the Eire, PA area are expected to follow. The company will close locations at 7200 Peach Street and 2877 West 26th Street—in part to transition resources to the company’s new Millcreek Mall location.
The company stressed that the Pennsylvania store closings are due to local factors and are not related to the corporation tightening its belt. The company has announced plans to transition employees from closed store locations to surrounding-area Giant Eagle stores.
We here at AndNowUKnow will bring you more developments as they happen.
