A POPULAR supermarket has taken over four stores belonging to a major rival brand.
The mega-chain will be reopening stores which were previously operated by Rite Aid as it expands a newer part of its grocery empire.
Giant Eagle is reopening four Rite Aid stores[/caption]
The supermarket acquired the prescriptions for several Rite Aid locations earlier this year[/caption]
Giant Eagle has stores across Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland and is known for selling a huge range of groceries and medicines.
However, in recent years, the corporation has started placing an increased focus on its pharmaceutical wing.
The brand’s Giant Eagle Pharmacy stores are smaller in size and focus exclusively on selling skincare, medicines and other health products.
As part of its bid to expand this side of the company, Giant Eagle acquired the prescriptions from 78 Rite Aid stores in May this year.
Now, four more Rite Aid stores have been converted into Giant Eagle Pharmacies.
The first of the four stores, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, and Cambridge, Ohio, have already started welcoming customers.
The remaining two stores, in Sewickley and Mount Washington, will be opening soon according to a spokesperson for the retailer.
The spokesperson added: “The initial customer response to our recently opened standalone Giant Eagle Pharmacy locations in Hollidaysburg Cambridge has been encouraging, and we are actively considering the potential to expand our standalone Giant Eagle Pharmacy business.”
The news comes after Giant Eagle confirmed a huge change would be coming to its 215 stores.
Over the summer, the brand confirmed that it is planning to use money raised from its sale of GetGo convenience stores to reinvest in its Giant Eagle stores.
The company sold around 270 GetGo locations to Alimentation Couche-Tard for $1.6 billion.
Giant Eagle said the sale will allow it to open 25 new stores and to lower the cost of thousands of its products.
Bill Artman, president and CEO of Giant Eagle, said: “The sale of the GetGo business marks an important moment in Giant Eagle’s history.
“It is a catalyst for investment in the communities we have served for more than 90 years.”
The brand made headlines earlier this year when it u-turned on a major climate commitment.
Giant Eagle confirmed that customers in Erie County, New York, would be able to buy plastic bags in stores – after having a ban on single-use for three years.
The bags were first scrapped in 2022, when the brand was celebrating Earth Day.
When the brand reintroduced plastic bags, a spokesperson said that it was trying to take “constructive” feedback into account.
Giant Eagle operates stores in five US states[/caption]
The spokesperson said: “We have been out there trying to figure out what the best fit is.
“Throughout the process we have been getting a lot of helpful and sometimes constructive feedback on what is working and what isn’t working.
“There are some markets where we currently do not offer single-use plastics.
“If there is any local ordinance in play, we abide by that.”
The supermarket is known for its huge range of products[/caption]
