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Not to be confused with Giant Food (Landover) or Giant Eagle.

The Giant Company
FormerlyGiant Food Stores
Company typeSubsidiary of Ahold Delhaize
IndustryRetail
Founded1923 (101 years ago) (1923)
FounderDavid Javitch
HeadquartersCarlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Number of locations
190 stores (156 Giant stores, 34 Martin's stores, 133 pharmacies, 107 fuel stations, and over 175 online pickup hubs)[1]
Areas served
Key people
John Ruane (President)[2]
Services
Number of employees
35,000+ (September 2020)[1]
ParentAhold Delhaize
SubsidiariesMartin's Foods
Giant Heirloom Market
Websitegiantfoodstores.com
martinsfoods.com
Giant logo used before re-branding in 2020. Some stores still use this logo as of 2024.

The Giant Company (formerly known as Giant Food Stores) is an American regional supermarket chain that operates in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia under the Giant and Martin's brands. It is a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, and headquartered in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. As of September 2020, the company operated 190 stores, 133 pharmacies, and 105 fuel stations. The chain also provides online shopping and delivery to New Jersey through Giant Direct.[3][4]

The Giant Company is often known as Giant-Carlisle or Giant/Martin's to distinguish it from Giant Food, a Maryland-headquartered sister chain also owned by Ahold Delhaize and often referred to as Giant-Landover.

History

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Map of Giant-Carlisle stores in 2011. Stores located in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania are Martin's stores; the remainder are Giant stores.

Early history

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The retail company launched in 1923 when David Javitch opened a small meat market in Carlisle, Pennsylvania called Carlisle Meat Market. In 1936, Javitch purchased a store in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, which he named the Giant Shopping Food Center. It was a major change from the original Carlisle Meat Market in that it was a total grocery store. The new store offered dry goods and perishables under one roof; a new concept at that time. The store was a success, and soon a decision was made to expand the original Carlisle store from a basic meat market into a full-fledged grocery store.

The business also experienced a number of setbacks. Prior to purchasing the Lewistown store, Javitch purchased a store in Hagerstown, Maryland, that opened and closed within the same month. In addition, his main store in Carlisle was destroyed by fire, and the Lewistown store was completely flooded on two separate occasions.[5][6]

Expansion

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After each setback, Javitch started over and the stores continued to grow in the 1950s. Shopping malls became a new American experience with the population moving outside of the cities and into the suburbs, and Javitch took advantage of the strip malls dotting the landscape. As a result, the company embarked on a plan of steady growth, opening new stores in suburban areas. Javitch moved his downtown Carlisle store to a newly built structure at 100 North Hanover Street in 1953, renaming it Carlisle Food Market. The Carlisle store was very modern for its time, with features like a parking lot, baggers, and outside lighting. A second Carlisle Food Market location opened in 1964 at the Carlisle Plaza Shopping Center. The company continued to open other stores under the Giant Foods name. In 1968, the ninth store opened in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. David Javitch became chairman of the board, passing the presidency to his son, Lee Javitch. The company's growth accelerated with the purchase of the Martin’s chain (though these stores retain the Martin’s name to this day) in Hagerstown, Maryland. The company purchased the Martin's chain, based in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1969, and expanded to New Jersey in 1970, opening three stores under the name Clover-Markets. In 1972, Nick Riso joined the company as vice president of sales and operations. A new merchandising effort began with the introduction of "Everyday Low Prices." By 1973, the company's 50th anniversary, the company operated a total of 18 stores. In 1974, David Javitch died, and Lee established the David Javitch Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit children of Giant/Martin’s employees. As the 1970s closed, 24 stores were in operation. Nick Riso was appointed president, and Lee Javitch assumed the position of chairman. As the 1980s approached, the company had grown to a workforce of 3,400.[5][6]

1981 acquisition by Ahold

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A Giant supermarket in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
A Giant gas station in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania

In 1981, the Javitch family sold the company to Royal Ahold Corporation, a food retailing business based in Zaandam, the Netherlands. At the time of the agreement, Giant was operating 29 supermarkets. Throughout the 1980s, Giant continued to grow. In 1988, Allan Noddle assumed the position of President of Giant Food Stores, as the 50th Giant store opened. Noddle served as a spokesman in Giant's radio and television advertising campaigns.

The late 1980s through mid-1990s saw a complete modernization of Giant and Martin's stores as remodels, expansions, and interior upgrades were completed in virtually every store within the chain. In addition, many new customer conveniences were added including in-store banks, pharmacies, Chinese kitchens, coffee shops, photo processing, and dry cleaning services. By the end of 1996, Giant had grown to 75 stores.

1997 brought major changes in the company's history as Giant merged with Edwards Super Food Stores, another Ahold-owned company. Upon completion of the merger, Giant was operating two divisions, with 23,000 employees in six states including Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Additionally, Tony Schiano became president and CEO of Giant.[5][6]

2000s

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As 2000 approached, Giant Food Stores underwent many technological changes. In addition, the first new prototype store opened in Hellertown, Pennsylvania and additional new stores opened with shopping conveniences for customers including gas stations, full-service floral departments, smoothie and juice bars, expanded deli and bakery departments, and organic produce. The new millennium brought about additional change within the organization, as Edwards transitioned to another Ahold-owned company, Stop & Shop. The Edwards stores throughout New Jersey and New York were remodeled and reopened under the Stop & Shop banner. With the major change, Giant concentrated on its plans to expand, and opened stores in new market areas such as Altoona, Pennsylvania. In 2001, Giant formed an alliance with another Ahold company, Tops Markets, LLC in Buffalo, New York. The new partnership, called Shared Services, was designed to allow both companies to continue to operate individually as separate and distinct businesses while partnering to support corporate functions. U-Scan self checkout registers were implemented company-wide, and a new marketing campaign, "Quality. Selection. Savings. Every Day" was introduced. Giant Food Stores also began sponsoring the Giant Center arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the home of the Hershey Bears hockey team, as well as the Skyview at Hersheypark.[7]

Major organizational change occurred in January 2003. Ultimately, Shared Services evolved to the extent that Tops was fully integrated into the Giant organization. On October 12, 2005, Giant opened the doors on a new "Super Giant" in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, in part due to competition from Wegmans supermarkets moving into the area. Another new Super Giant opened in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania on March 5, 2008, with a total area of 97,300 square feet (9,040 m2), making it Giant's largest store in Pennsylvania.[8]

On September 6, 2006, Jack Clemens of Clemens Family Markets Inc. and his family sold 14 of their 22 stores to Royal Ahold, and eight to C&S Wholesalers. Thirteen of the Ahold stores were rebranded as Giant and one remained branded FoodSource (which was Clemens' upscale gourmet banner), while C&S immediately sold six of the stores to A&P, which re-branded them SuperFresh stores.[9]

On February 1, 2007, Carl Schlicker assumed responsibility as CEO of Giant/Tops, replacing the retiring Schiano.[10] A year later, on July 10, 2008, Royal Ahold announced that Sander van der Laan, at the time the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising for Albert Heijn (a Dutch supermarket chain owned by Ahold), had been appointed president and CEO of Giant-Carlisle, succeeding Carl Schlicker who had been appointed president and CEO of Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover.[11]

On October 11, 2007, Ahold USA announced the sale of Tops Markets, LLC to Morgan Stanley Private Equity, separating Giant-Carlisle from Tops. It was announced on December 17, 2009, that Giant-Carlisle would purchase the Ukrops chain, expanding their market further into Virginia.[12] These stores operated under the Martin's banner.

2010s

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Logo of Giant Heirloom Market

On January 7, 2010, it was announced that Rick Herring would become the new president and CEO of Giant-Carlisle.[13]

Giant opened its first grocery store within the limits of the City of Philadelphia in 2011 on Grant Avenue.[14] As of December 14, 2011, Giant and Martin's together have 92 gas stations and they have more than 180 stores in four states.[15]

On January 5, 2012, Giant announced it would acquire 16 Genuardi's Family Markets across the Philadelphia area in a $106 million deal.[16]

In January 2018, Nicholas Bertram became the new President of Giant/Martin's following Tom Lenkevich’s retirement.[17][18]

In November 2018, Giant-Carlisle announced that it would acquire 5 Shop 'n Save supermarkets from SuperValu, Inc. and operate them under its Martin's Food Markets banner.[19][20] In 2019, the Giant also acquired one store from Ferguson & Hassler[21] and three stores from Musser’s Markets in Pennsylvania.[22]

In 2019, Giant began the rollout of a robotic assistant named "Marty" to all of its locations. "Marty" travels unassisted around the store and checks for hazards. The addition of the robotic assistant to stores allows for employees to spend more time engaging with customers.[23]

In 2019, Giant introduced Giant Heirloom Market, a smaller store format designed for urban areas. The first Giant Heirloom Market location opened on January 25, 2019, in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood in Philadelphia.[24] Giant Heirloom Market has also opened locations in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of University City and Northern Liberties.[25] The Northern Liberties location also features an underground taproom.[26]

In August 2019, Giant announced it would open a two-story, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) flagship store in Center City Philadelphia as part of the Riverwalk development along the Schuylkill River. The store, which features dedicated shelf space for local vendors, an outdoor terrace, and a free parking garage, opened on March 19, 2021.[27][28]

In February 2019, the company launched its first e-commerce hub Giant Direct brand for online pickup and delivery orders.[29]

2020s

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In February 2020, Giant Food Stores announced its plans to adopt a new name, The Giant Company, and update logos across its grocery retailer business locations.[30] In August 2020, following the re-branding campaign, the company introduced a new slogan "For Today's Table", with the focus on family values.[31]

According to a number of sources, the grocery chain had temporarily to limit some of the vital products in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic but over time resumed back to normal practice. The company's officials also used public social media channels to discourage hoarding. Among other measures were reserved shopping time for customers age 60 and older, changing store hours and contactless delivery for online grocery orders through Giant/Martin’s Direct.[32][33][34]

In March 2021, Glennis Harris joined The Giant Company as senior vice president of customer experience.[35]

In November 2021, the Giant company opened a new Giant Direct E-commerce Fulfillment Center (EFC) on Island Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[36] A 124,000-square-foot facility operates as a distribution center for Giant Direct online orders as well as brick and mortar customers in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey with the claimed capacity of about 15,000 home delivery orders per week.[37] The supermarket chain also partnered with robotics provider Swisslog to automate routine processes in its distribution center, which includes the installation of AutoStore’s robotic storage and retrieval system.[38]

In November and December, Giant opened three new supermarkets – two in Philadelphia (a 67,000-square-foot store at 2201 Cottman Avenue and a 46,000-square-foot store at 1403 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard) – and the third in Bucks County, a 72,500-square-foot store in the Cross Keys Place shopping center in Doylestown. On December 16, 2021, a Giant Heirloom Market location opened in the ground level of the former Strawbridge & Clothier flagship department store at the Fashion District Philadelphia.[39] The company retrofitted the 32,000-square-foot space of the historical building while preserving its interior design elements.[40]

Giant also announced plans to open two more stores in Philadelphia – a 50,000-square-foot supermarket on North Broad Street and a 40,000-square-foot supermarket on South Broad Street at the corner of Washington Avenue.[41]

On January 6, 2022, Parag Shah was appointed as the company's VP-omnichannel merchandising center store.[42]

Martin's Foods

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Not to be confused with Indiana and Michigan chain Martin's Super Markets, which is a subsidiary of SpartanNash.
New Martin's logo after rebranding
Martin's logo used before rebranding in 2020
Martin's in Waynesboro, Virginia
A former Ukrop's location converted to Martin's in Richmond, Virginia

Martin's Foods is a chain of supermarkets operating in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. Like Giant stores, they are operated by Giant-Carlisle and are owned by Ahold Delhaize. The stores are generally identical to Giant-Carlisle stores. In 1998, when Ahold purchased Giant-Landover, some Martin's stores were closed and sold to other chains to comply with Federal Trade Commission regulations. These locations included stores in Frederick, Carroll, Harford and Cecil counties in Maryland, where the Giant of Landover name was seen as more dominant. However, two stores in this area, in Eldersburg and in Rising Sun, were not sold and continue to operate as Martin's to this day.

The chain, along with Giant-Carlisle, implemented the Bonuscard program in 2000. Around that same time, the chain began selling gasoline in front of its stores.

Since August 2020, the chain's new slogan is "For Today's Table".[31] "Quality. Selection. Savings. Everyday" and "We're with You" were previously used slogans. The majority of Martin's stores are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Martin's is strong in its trade area, usually being first in market share.

The Martin's name originates from a small chain based in Hagerstown, Maryland. Giant-Carlisle purchased Martin's while expanding in 1968. The name, once known only in Hagerstown, was expanded into nearby Waynesboro, Pennsylvania; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Frederick, Maryland; and Winchester, Virginia. The chain has since expanded further west into Maryland's Allegany County, into West Virginia's Jefferson and Mineral counties, into Virginia's Culpeper and Warren counties, and as far south as Petersburg, Virginia. The Martin's name was extended into west central Pennsylvania upon the purchase of corporate-owned Jubilee Foods stores; these stores use the Martin's banner instead of Giant to avoid confusion with Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, which has stores in many of those same markets. Martin's now operates stores in Altoona, Duncansville, Connellsville, Indiana, and DuBois. Despite these locations being located relatively close to Pittsburgh, the Connellsville location is the only store located within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and Martin's currently has no plans to further expand into Pittsburgh.

With the purchase of Ukrops Super Markets, Martin's moved even farther into central Virginia, with stores as far south as Petersburg and as far east as Williamsburg. Among the notable differences in the Richmond and Williamsburg stores were that they maintained the Ukrops recipes and brand in the bakery and prepared foods departments, and associates usually carried customers' groceries to their vehicles. These locations offered the Fuelperks branded fuel program instead of that offered at other Martin's stores. Martin's exited the Richmond metropolitan area in 2017, closing some stores and selling the remainder to Publix Super Markets. The latter was due to Ahold's merger with Delhaize Group, the parent company of Food Lion, which has several stores in the Richmond area, some of which were located in close proximity to the Martin's stores.

Relationship with Giant-Landover

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A significant difference between the two chains is that Giant-Landover (of more urban Central Maryland) is unionized while Giant-Carlisle (of South-Central Pennsylvania) is non-union, with the exception of stores in Lewistown and Burnham, Pennsylvania.

Renewable energy projects

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In June 2020, The Giant Company accomplished its first solar project at the company's corporate headquarters in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which included a 625kw rooftop solar array.[43] Later that summer, the company added a seven-acre pollinator-friendly solar field at its Carlisle, Pennsylvania headquarters.[44]

In November 2021, the Giant Company made a long-term agreement with energy provider Constellation to supply its operations in Pennsylvania for select stores, fuel stations, and distribution centers with renewable energy. According to the report, the company is scheduled to receive 155 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year.[45] As of 2022, the company was at the stage of getting permits and installation and planning to sell excess energy to the grid.[46]

Sponsorships and charity

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In 2018, Giant became official grocer of the Philadelphia Phillies and in October 2019 the company became official partner of the Philadelphia 76ers.[47][48] In 2018, Giant also entered into a multi-year agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to become the official sponsor of the Exposition Hall at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.[49][50] The Giant Company has been engaged in other charity endeavors such as the Please Touch Museum, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and more.[51][52][53][54]

The company also collaborates with the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Organization to finance sports and recreation projects.[55]

In January 2022, Giant donated $1 million to Pennsylvania's Harrisburg University of Science and Technology to fund its 23,000-square-foot Research and Education Center for Advanced Agriculture and Sustainability.[56]

The grocery chain also has a long-term philanthropic relationship with the Pennsylvania State University and supports the university's various associated projects, including Penn State Health Children's Hospital, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Children's Miracle Network (CMN).[57]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Giant Company aims to hire 4,000 more associates". Supermarket News. September 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Giant Co. Announces Leadership Transitions". www.theshelbyreport.com. August 24, 2022. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "Giant Food Stores becomes The Giant Company". Supermarket News. February 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Big News: Giant Food Stores Rebranded as 'The Giant Company". Saucon Source. February 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Market, Carlisle Food (February 27, 1973). "Progress". The Sentinel. The Sentinel (Archives). p. 59.
  6. ^ a b c "Giant Food Stores, LLC Company History Timeline". Zippia. August 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Giant Renews Arena Partnership". Hershey Bears.
  8. ^ Panaritis, Maria (March 3, 2008). "Colossal competition". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  9. ^ "Clemens Out of Philly; Giant to Convert Units to Namesake Banner". Progressive Grocer.
  10. ^ Ahold Press Office (January 9, 2007). "Tony Schiano retires and Carl Schlicker to be appointed as President and CEO of Giant-Carlisle/Tops". ahold.com/. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
  11. ^ Ahold Press Office (July 10, 2008). "Ahold announces leadership appointments". ahold.com/. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
  12. ^ "Welcome to nginx!". Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  13. ^ "Business players". The Morning Call. January 14, 2010. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  14. ^ "Giant is opening a two-level flagship store in Center City Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  15. ^ "GIANT® Food Stores". Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Giant buying 16 Genuardi's; others to be sold or closed". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  17. ^ "Ahold USA Names Nick Bertram Giant/Martin's President". Progressive Grocer.
  18. ^ "Nick Bertram Will Be Appointed President of Ahold USA's Banner, Giant/Martin's, Following Tom Lenkevich's Retirement". Andnowuknow.
  19. ^ Giant Food Stores To Acquire Five Shop ‘N Save Stores The Shelby Report, November 6, 2018
  20. ^ "Giant will buy 5 Shop 'n Save stores from UNFI". Grocery Dive.
  21. ^ "Giant Food Stores to acquire Ferguson & Hassler". Drug Store News.
  22. ^ "Giant set to reopen Musser's Market stores". SuperMarket News. October 9, 2019.
  23. ^ Gleiter, Sue (January 14, 2019). "Roving robots arriving at Giant Food Stores". PennLive. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  24. ^ Tanenbaum, Michael (January 10, 2019). "Nation's first Giant Heirloom Market gets opening date in Graduate Hospital". PhillyVoice. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  25. ^ Redman, Russell (October 24, 2019). "Opening set for third Giant Heirloom Market". Supermarket News. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  26. ^ Silverman, Ellie (November 15, 2019). "Look inside: Giant Heirloom Market with underground taproom opens today". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  27. ^ Silverman, Ellie (August 14, 2019). "Giant is opening a two-level flagship store in Center City Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  28. ^ "2-level Giant urban flagship store opens today in Center City". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  29. ^ "Giant Co. Debuts Philly E-Commerce Fulfillment Center". Progressive Grocer.
  30. ^ "Giant Food Stores becomes The Giant Company". Supermarket News. February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "The Giant Company unveils 'For Today's Table' brand mantra". Supermarket News. August 25, 2020.
  32. ^ "Giant's president talks paper limits, hiring during a pandemic and how he welcomes competition". Pennsylvania Live. November 24, 2020.
  33. ^ Redman, Russell (March 27, 2020). "The Giant Company uses social media to discourage hoarding". Supermarket News.
  34. ^ "Giant removes meat limits as its president says food supply slowly improving". Pennsylvania Live. May 26, 2020.
  35. ^ "The Giant Company hires Glennis Harris to lead customer experience". Supermarket News. March 12, 2021.
  36. ^ Russell, Zachary (November 8, 2021). "The Giant Company expands to better serve Pennsylvania shoppers". Store Brands.
  37. ^ Packer, Peggy (November 10, 2021). "The GIANT Company Expands E-Commerce Operations With New Fulfillment Center; Nicholas Bertram and Chris Lewis Comment". Deli Market News.
  38. ^ Wells, Jeff (November 8, 2021). "Inside The Giant Company's new automated e-commerce facility". Grocery Dive.
  39. ^ Tanenbaum, Michael (December 16, 2021). "Giant opens Heirloom Market in Center City's Fashion District". PhillyVoice.
  40. ^ Tanenbaum, Michael (December 16, 2021). "Giant opens Heirloom Market in Center City's Fashion District". Philly Voice.
  41. ^ "Giant opening 4 new stores in Philadelphia by 2023". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. May 11, 2021.
  42. ^ "Shah Joins TGC As VP-Omnichannel Merch; Burkett, Lupfer Given New Roles". Food Trade News. January 6, 2022.
  43. ^ "The GIANT Company commits to using renewable energy for Pa. operations". NorthCentral PA.
  44. ^ Castrodale, Jelisa (February 10, 2022). "Someone Stole 60,000 Bees from a Pennsylvania Supermarket Chain". Food & Wine.
  45. ^ Goldschmidt, Bridget (November 4, 2021). "Giant Co. to Power Pennsylvania Ops With Renewable Energy". Progressive Grocer.
  46. ^ "GIANT company working on permits for solar-powered stores". ABC27. February 18, 2022.
  47. ^ "Giant Food named 'official grocer' of MLB's Phillies". Drugstore News.
  48. ^ "Giant Food Stores, Philadelphia 76ers Team Up". Progressive Grocer.
  49. ^ "Department Of Agriculture, GIANT Announce Multi-Year Farm Show Sponsorship Agreement". PA Media.
  50. ^ "Giant gets multi-year deal to sponsor Farm Show Complex". Associated Press News. December 6, 2018.
  51. ^ "Giant gives $1.2 million to Please Touch Museum to revitalize its grocery store exhibit and seed new funding". Inquirer.
  52. ^ "GIANT Food Stores Gifts $5 Million to CHOP". Chop. May 5, 2014.
  53. ^ "A new kind of pharmacy will combat food insecurity for children". Inquirer.
  54. ^ "Faculty project makes the case for sustainable business practices". PennState Harrisburg.
  55. ^ "New basketball court opens at Whitby Avenue Playground". SW Globe Times. November 19, 2021.
  56. ^ Zboraj, Marian (January 11, 2022). "Giant Co. Makes Sizable Donation to Fund High-Tech Agriculture". Progressive Grocer.
  57. ^ Pennsylvania State University (October 12, 2021). "Penn State names The GIANT Company as Corporate Partner of the Year" (Press release).
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