Grocery Chain Plans Major PA Expansion: New Stores, Renovations

PHILADELPHIA, PA — One of the region's most ubiquitous supermarket chains is planning a $114 million expansion project throughout Pennsylvania in 2020, adding more stores, renovating existing stores, and opening a new ecommerce fulfillment center.

GIANT, which operates dozens of stores throughout the Philadelphia region, announced Thursday that it is "doubling down on growth," and creating the fulfillment center in Philadelphia. The fulfillment center, which will support its ecommerce brand, GIANT DIRECT, will result in hundreds of new jobs, the company said.

“The accelerated growth of GIANT DIRECT has set the stage for additional investment opportunities that extend our ecommerce geographic reach. At the same time, our GIANT Heirloom Market format has enabled us to reach an entirely new demographic in Philadelphia," company President Nicholas Bertram said.

The company's expansion plans, announced at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, also includes the creation of two new stores and a remodeling of 35 existing stores through 2021.

The new 124,000-square-foot fulfillment center will be located at 3501 Island Avenue in Philadelphia, allowing the company to grow its home delivery and in-store pick-up operations.

The new stores are planned in Swatara Township and Pocono Summit.

Plus, more than 35 Giant stores will undergo makeovers to make them better "designed for today’s busy families," the company said.

The renovations in many cases will include adding beer and wine eateries. But additional features, specifically designed to simplify shopping, including optimized product assortment, streamlined order pickup, improved merchandise displays, and modernized décor, will be added to others, the company said.

Stores in Camp Hill and St. Davids are among the first to be remodeled.

Giant is Pennsylvania’s second-largest private employer, employing more than 27,000 people statewide.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf applauded the plans.

“It is so important when Pennsylvania businesses, especially retailers and producers, support each other and form partnerships for mutual growth,” Wolf said. “I thank GIANT for helping the state’s farmers and food suppliers grow their businesses by showcasing PA Preferred products at its stores."