Giant Eagle Shifts Focus After GetGo Sale
PITTSBURGH — Giant Eagle Inc. is no longer the owner of the GetGo convenience store brand following the chain's sale to Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., but customers will still be able to enjoy the rewards from the myPerks loyalty program and GetGo employers will stay in their office space in the Giant Eagle corporate building even as the company charts a new post-sale path.
The transition was designed to be as seamless as possible for GetGo shoppers and workers, Giant Eagle President and CEO Bill Artman told Convenience Store News sister publication Progressive Grocer.
"We first wanted to make sure we were selling to the right parent — we wanted someone who appreciates the brand of GetGo, who was interested in onboarding our team members and who would keep the loyalty program that was very important to our customers," said Artman of the transaction, which was about 15 months in the works. "We put a lot of time, energy and love into the brand over the years."
Giant Eagle also recently spun off its wholesale motor fuels distribution business to Cary Oil Co. Inc. Both sales will allow the regional grocer to prioritize its core grocery and pharmacy operations, according to Artman.
"For a while now, we have wanted to focus on being the best version of Giant Eagle that we can be," he said. "We believe that reinvesting back in our grocery and pharmacies is great opportunity for us."
Artman noted that the recent bankruptcy of Rite-Aid provided Giant Eagle with an opportunity. In May, the company announced it had acquired customer prescriptions from nearly 80 shuttered Rite-Aid stores.
Customers can also look ahead to more store refreshes as Giant Eagle narrows its retail sights in a shopper-centric way.
"We have hundreds of millions of dollars planned over the next five years to build and remodel supermarkets," Artman said. He also recognized the affinity that Giant Eagle customers have for the brand. "Any time I get an opportunity to tour our stores, I love getting feedback from customers and employees. We get a lot of things right, but we have an opportunity for improvements, too. Our customers really take possession of their local stores. If I'm in an airport and have a Giant Eagle logo on, people will come up and talk about 'my Giant Eagle.'"
Artman also expressed thanks to those who supported and facilitated the deal.
"We are really excited about the future," he said. "We are appreciative of the 3,500 GetGo team members who have built the brand and we wish Couche-Tard the best as we move forward."
Progressive Grocer and Convenience Store News are properties of EnsembleIQ.