Giant Food Stores to open e-commerce hub in Lancaster County
E-commerce hub is part of $22 million investment
BY Antoinette Alexander
Ahold Delhaize’s Giant Food Stores announced on Monday a $22 million investment in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, which includes launching a new e-commerce hub at its former North Reservoir St. location, remodel completions at four stores, lower prices across its stores, and the opening of a new Lititz fuel station.
“We look at this e-commerce hub as an investment not just in property, but in the people of Lancaster who have waited too long to hear news from us about our future plans,” said Nicholas Bertram, Giant president. “We have been listening closely to the community, and we would like to sincerely thank Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace for her counsel during the past several months as we developed these plans for more economic opportunity and growth within the city.”
The new e-commerce hub will serve as a grocery delivery center and will be designed with a unique format that offers curbside pickup orders, where online orders are delivered right to customers’ cars parked outside of the hub. The format will also feature a walkable pickup point to meet the growing local demand for online grocery. The hub will encompass 38,000 square feet, enabling Giant and its online grocery partner Peapod to serve up to 40 percent more shoppers. The grocer’s new e-commerce hub concept will bring approximately 150 new jobs to the community.
“We’re seeing double digit growth in online ordering and grocery delivery,” continued Bertram. “We are rededicating ourselves to the Lancaster market, and we want this cutting-edge facility to be unique – something the Northeast neighborhood will be proud of while we meet this demand. We’re excited because the e-commerce hub will allow us to increase capacity quickly.” This will be the fifth such facility GIANT has opened in Pennsylvania with Peapod.
New store features
The first phase of Giant’s investment is now complete and included extensive remodels at four locations. In addition to expanded product selections, the remodeled stores also feature a new look in the health and beauty care departments. The departments have an expanded variety of items and newly installed LED lighting.
In addition, Giant has reduced prices on thousands of products in produce, meat, deli, grocery, dairy, frozen food, and health and beauty care that customers routinely purchase. Customers will find savings up to 35 percent on staple items such as Giant brand pasta, ground beef, shredded cheese, waffles, canned beans, family cereals, aluminum foil, sandwich bags, organic yogurt and more, in addition to select national brand products.
Giant operates eight stores in Lancaster County, employing approximately 1,300 associates.
This latest investment in Lancaster is in addition to a $70 million investment the grocer announced earlier this year to grow its store network across Pennsylvania by constructing six new stores, remodeling two locations and opening four new fuel stations over the next two years. As part of this growth strategy, Giant plans to enter the East Stroudsburg and Walnutport communities for the first time.
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