Our Story
Giant Eagle is a beloved Pittsburgh-based grocery store chain that has been serving communities for over 80 years. Our first store opened in 1931 when five independent grocers joined forces to provide families with a better shopping experience. Back then, we were called Eagle Grocery Company and we operated three stores.
Over the decades, Giant Eagle has grown tremendously while remaining dedicated to our founding mission – helping families save money and live healthier lives. Today, we operate over 410 stores throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland.
At Giant Eagle, we believe that shopping for groceries should be easy, affordable, and even fun. That’s why we offer the ultimate one-stop-shop with everything busy households need under one roof – from farm-fresh produce and organic options to convenient prepared meals, quality meats, global cuisine, and household essentials.
Our knowledgeable team members are passionate about delivering excellent customer service and going the extra mile for our communities. We aim to make a difference in every neighborhood we serve.
Our Values
Giant Eagle’s company values shape our culture and define who we are:
Teamwork: We support each other and work better together. Unity is our strength.
Caring: We show compassion in every interaction. Our communities and colleagues matter.
Continuous Improvement: We constantly strive to be better tomorrow than we are today. The status quo never satisfies us.
Great Place to Work: We cultivate an environment where all team members can thrive and build careers.
Responsible Corporate Citizen: We use our business as a force for good in the communities we serve.
Passion for Food: We embrace our heritage as grocers with childlike enthusiasm. Food brings joy.
Shopper Centric: Our customers are the reason we exist. We earn their trust through service.
Integrity: We adhere to the highest ethical standards and keep our promises. Character defines us.
Innovation: We foster creativity and welcome new ideas. Complacency is the enemy of progress.
Safety: We vigilantly protect the wellbeing of all who enter our doors.
Our Produce
Nothing beats the taste of fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. That’s why Giant Eagle sources produce from over 100 regional farms. We have strong partnerships with multi-generational family farms across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and New York.
Our produce comes directly from the field to our warehouses so it doesn’t sit on trucks for days. This allows us to provide customers with farm-fresh goods at their peak flavor and ripeness. You’ll notice the difference in every crunchy bite!
In 2012, we became one of the first retailers nationwide to eliminate multi-use plastic produce bags. Today, we offer 100% recyclable paper bags or reusable mesh bags. This prevents 150 million pounds of plastic from entering landfills each year.
Our produce team takes great pride in their work and meticulously cares for each item. They get up early every morning to inspect deliveries and remove anything that doesn’t meet our uncompromising quality standards. Then they neatly stock displays by hand.
Our Meat & Seafood
Butcher shops used to be a staple of every neighborhood. Although times have changed, our expert meat cutters uphold time-honored traditions. They break down whole cuts delivered fresh daily from Ray’s Quality Meats – our full-service meat supplier based in Ohio. Then they skillfully trim, tie, and prepare roasts, steaks, chops, ground meat, marinated meats, and more to each customer’s specification.
Our seafood department offers sustainably sourced fish delivered six days a week. You’ll find both popular favorites like salmon and halibut as well as seasonal varieties like mahi mahi and walleye. Our seafood experts gladly share cooking tips and recipe ideas.
We introduced our Freezer Meats concept in 2012. These frozen items provide customers the convenience of fully cooked entrees that just need to be quickly thawed and heated. It’s a real time saver for busy families!
Our Bakery
The mouthwatering aroma of fresh baked bread greets shoppers as they enter our stores. Our European style artisan breads and rolls are scratch made throughout the day in our on-site bakeries. Customers can pick up a loaf hot out of the oven!
Our full-service bakeries also offer custom cakes, hand-decorated cookies, pies, cupcakes, and pastries for every occasion. Whether you need a birthday cake for a child or a tiered wedding cake, our talented bakers will create a confection that’s sure to impress both in beauty and taste.
Our Prepared Foods
Who has time to cook three meals a day? That’s why Giant Eagle provides a delicious prepared food selection for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything between. We make homemade dinners easy with entrees like herb roasted chicken, sweet and savory pork loin, and stuffed cabbage rolls ready for quick heating. Our Market District locations feature restaurant favorites like handcrafted flatbread pizzas, Asian noodle bowls, flame broiled salmon, rotisserie chicken, and handmade sushi.
Our grab-and-go case offers convenient snacks, sandwiches, salads, sides and single serve entrees to satisfy cravings morning, noon, or night. We also have an extensive catering menu perfect for events and gatherings.
Our Grocery
From pantry staples to gourmet treats from around the globe – you’ll find over 50,000 products on our supermarket shelves. Name brands, organic and natural options, specialty diet foods, and products tailored for ethnic tastes ensure we have something for every consumer.
To bring customers the best offerings, we continually evaluate and enhance our product assortment based on purchasing data and feedback. Our category managers often personally test products to analyze quality. We proudly introduce over 5,000 new items every year!
Our Pharmacies
With pharmacy departments at over 200 store locations, we aim to keep families happy, healthy, and save them money on prescription drugs. Our friendly, knowledgeable pharmacy teams provide compassionate patient care and advice.
All Giant Eagle pharmacies accept major insurance plans and we offer savings programs like prescription discount cards and a free antibiotic program. Pharmacy customers also earn free prescriptions through our popular Advantage Card program.
Our Convenience and Fuel Centers
In the early 1980s, we expanded beyond supermarkets into the convenience store space by acquiring Good Cents, GetGo, and Quality 92. Today, Giant Eagle operates over 200 convenience stores across our footprint states, most with adjacent fuel centers.
Our convenience stores allow shoppers to quickly grab essentials like milk, snacks, and ready to eat foods when they don’t need a full grocery trip. Of course, staples like coffee, fountain drinks, beer, lottery tickets, and tobacco products are available too.
GetGo cafe + market stores provide made to order breakfast sandwiches, salads, pizza, and other fresh fare options. Our fuel perks program helps customers save at the pump.
Our Own Brands
Giant Eagle offers thousands of products under our exclusive private label brands. These brands allow us to provide exceptional quality and value. Our store brands include:
giant eagle – everyday staples like bread, milk, eggs, butter, cereal, canned goods, sugar, flour, and more.
Market District – premium products like specialty cheeses, organic produce, gourmet pastas, and imported foods.
Good Cents – cost-friendly groceries, snacks, household and health products.
greenGoodness – natural, organic, gluten-free, non-GMO verified items.
Rugged Bear – kids’ snacks, juices, cereal, and toys.
Taste of Inspirations – frozen entrees, pizzas snacks, and appetizers.
live! By giant eagle – wellness products emphasizing healthful ingredients.
Valley Trail Farms – local dairy products like milk, eggs, butter and ice cream.
Juanitas – authentic Mexican foods and salsas.
Nathan’s Famous – hot dogs, kielbasa, and deli meats.
Our Commitment to Local
Giant Eagle is proud to partner with over 800 local suppliers and vendors based in communities across our region. We routinely invite entrepreneurs into our stores to showcase their products through demonstrations and sample tastings.
Some of the local brands we sell include: Clark Bars, Sarris Candies, Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, Pittsburgh Popcorn Company, Aunt Sandy’s, Wingharts Chocolates, Uncle Charley’s Sausage, Straub Brewery, Wigle Whiskey, Rivertowne Brewing plus many more.
We also have several programs that support neighborhood schools, churches, and civic groups including:
Apples for Students – An apple donation program providing fresh apples to teach healthy habits.
Support Our Schools – A school fundraising drive providing educational rewards.
Pound for Pound – Donating unsold meat to hunger relief partners.
Come Grow With Us – Donating edible food to urban gardens.
Our Ownership & Management
Giant Eagle is a privately held company owned by the founding Moran family along with the Russell family, who joined as shareholders in the 1940s. While publicly traded supermarkets must answer to Wall Street interests, our privately held status allows us to focus on customers and community priorities.
We employ over 35,000 team members including full-time, part-time, and seasonal roles in our stores, warehouses, corporate office, manufacturing plants, and subsidiaries. Serving on the Giant Eagle leadership team are:
Laura Shapira Karet – Chief Executive Officer
John Lucot – Chief Operating Officer
Laura Gipe – Chief Financial Officer
Jannah Jablonowski – Chief Strategy Officer
Kathy Hickey – Chief Marketing Officer
Matt Simon – Chief Retail Officer
Maria Joseph – Chief Merchandising Officer
Dan Donovan – Chief Information Officer
Together our executive team is committed to upholding Giant Eagle’s legacy and bringing our company vision to life in every store, every day. They lead by example when it comes to our core values.
Giant Eagle remains headquartered in Pittsburgh where our first store opened. Our corporate office employs over 1,200 individuals in strategy, marketing, merchandising, manufacturing, operations, procurement, real estate, human resources, finance, and information technology roles.
Our Future
What’s next for Giant Eagle? We will continue evolving to meet changing customer needs while staying true to our roots. As shopper demands and technology progresses, we are investing in a multi-year strategic plan to transform how people experience food and grocery retail.
Some priorities include:
- Expanding our fresh prepared foods selection with more quick meal options.
- Offering consumers a seamless shopping experience across stores and e-commerce.
- Continuing our investments in online grocery with expanded fulfillment options like curbside pickup.
- Launching customer-facing digital tools like enhanced circulars, personalized promotions, and diet and allergen filters.
- Opening smaller format urban and on-campus stores.
- Piloting innovative store concepts like unattended checkout powered artificial intelligence.
Our commitment to communities, shoppers, and team members will remain at the heart of every decision as we embark on Giant Eagle’s next chapter. We’re excited to continue serving families and “helping you do real life” for generations to come!
