Giant-Carlisle

[EddieJ1984]

No they aren't related.
These are the stores that Ahold owns (pic from their website), Giant (PA based), Martins, Giant (Maryland based), Stop & Shop.

[MikeRa]

Giant Food Stores LLC (Giant [PA]) announced this past Friday, October 4, that they will be closing it's location in Warrington, PA.  The store, located at 389 Easton Raod, was a former Genuardi's that Giant purchased in 2010.

Giant has 20 other stores in Bucks County, including stores nearby in New Britain Township, Warminster, and Plumstead.  Giant did say that affected employees will be offered positions at other markets.
http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/business/giant-to-close-warrington-store/article_1e1c2a49-a343-5ac7-9742-634b6a529720.html

[bubcolbert1952]

FoodSource, the gourmet and very upscale division of the now-extinct Clemens Markets chain (most of which was bought by Giant but saw some stores become Super Fresh, and others close due to being near existing modern Giants) had a store in Greenville, Delaware which was the only store ever in the whole Clemens/FoodSource operation to be outside Pennsylvania. So I'm wondering... because this store stayed open for many months after Clemens was dissolved, would it have been for a short time the only Giant/Martin's-owned store in Delaware? Or could it have actually been run by the Super G/Giant Landover division of Ahold? They only have one store in Delaware after all their PA and NJ stores closed, and Safeway is in the same boat after their experiment with Genuardi's failed. I also wonder if maybe the FoodSource in Greenville was managed by Martin's somehow without direct control from the management of Giant Carlisle when it was open in 2007. Surprisingly the Bryn Mawr PA FoodSource was the last one to close, closing I think in 2011 when owned by Giant, but it would make more sense if the Greenville store had stayed open longer than the other two. It's a shame though the third store in Glen Mills PA couldn't have lasted longer, because it was barely changed from its former life as a Zagara's store (owned by Genuardi's and briefly Safeway before being spun off as a company that went bankrupt soon after) from the 80's, and it had a Wine & Spirits store inside that had to close with the FoodSource due to not having its own entrance/exit to the outside. Glen Mills was without a state-owned liquor store for miles after FoodSource closed in 2007, until a new one happened to open in a brand new shopping center across the street in 2010. The state should have kept their older store open that was "replaced" by the one in FoodSource, because the older store wasn't exactly that close to the new one which didn't last.

[zonemad96]

I officially hate giant I now have 3 giant cards one for the md division, pa division, and another for giant eagle, oh and my martins card. WHY!?!? OMG WHY!? I get that giant eagle is a totally different company so that's fine but someone please explain to me why Giant PA, Giant MD, and Martins can't all take the same card? If you wan't to have separate divisions that's fine but the least they could do is all take the same damn card.

[store215]

I officially hate giant I now have 3 giant cards one for the md division, pa division, and another for giant eagle, oh and my martins card. WHY!?!? OMG WHY!? I get that giant eagle is a totally different company so that's fine but someone please explain to me why Giant PA, Giant MD, and Martins can't all take the same card? If you wan't to have separate divisions that's fine but the least they could do is all take the same damn card.

Giant (PA) and Martin's cards should be able to be used between the two...they are both on the same systems.

[ynkeesfn82]

I worked at Shaw's from 2001-2006. Shaw's got married to Albertsons in 2004 (which also included ACME in the Philly area). A lot of out of state visitors felt that Shaw's should've been able to take the Alberstons and/or ACME cards after the chains got married. They never did.

[BillyGr]

I officially hate giant I now have 3 giant cards one for the md division, pa division, and another for giant eagle, oh and my martins card. WHY!?!? OMG WHY!? I get that giant eagle is a totally different company so that's fine but someone please explain to me why Giant PA, Giant MD, and Martins can't all take the same card? If you wan't to have separate divisions that's fine but the least they could do is all take the same damn card.

The only thing I know is that (at least as of a couple years ago) the MD Giant chain's checkouts wouldn't accept either the Martin's (which I wound up with in VA many years ago) or the Stop 'n Shop (since those are close to us here in NY, either on the MA side or further south in Dutchess County) cards.
However, I did find out something interesting - at least for getting the sale prices.  There was an option where it came up to put in your phone # (which I assumed was in case you had a card but forgot it). 
However, the cashier had me put my number in and that worked, even though I never had a Giant (MD) card.
So, I don't know if any random number would work, or if by using the phone # it then somehow taps into a larger corporate database (as I may have registered the phone # with either the Martins or SNS cards)?

[BillyGr]

I worked at Shaw's from 2001-2006. Shaw's got married to Albertsons in 2004 (which also included ACME in the Philly area). A lot of out of state visitors felt that Shaw's should've been able to take the Alberstons and/or ACME cards after the chains got married. They never did.

At least now that is no longer an issue, since they stopped requiring a card for sales after the last ownership transfer.

[zonemad96]

I officially hate giant I now have 3 giant cards one for the md division, pa division, and another for giant eagle, oh and my martins card. WHY!?!? OMG WHY!? I get that giant eagle is a totally different company so that's fine but someone please explain to me why Giant PA, Giant MD, and Martins can't all take the same card? If you wan't to have separate divisions that's fine but the least they could do is all take the same damn card.

Giant (PA) and Martin's cards should be able to be used between the two...they are both on the same systems.

I was told by one of their employees they don't and I know for a fact martins card's don't work with their easy scan system even if it's registered to use it at martins.

[zonemad96]

I officially hate giant I now have 3 giant cards one for the md division, pa division, and another for giant eagle, oh and my martins card. WHY!?!? OMG WHY!? I get that giant eagle is a totally different company so that's fine but someone please explain to me why Giant PA, Giant MD, and Martins can't all take the same card? If you wan't to have separate divisions that's fine but the least they could do is all take the same damn card.

The only thing I know is that (at least as of a couple years ago) the MD Giant chain's checkouts wouldn't accept either the Martin's (which I wound up with in VA many years ago) or the Stop 'n Shop (since those are close to us here in NY, either on the MA side or further south in Dutchess County) cards.
However, I did find out something interesting - at least for getting the sale prices.  There was an option where it came up to put in your phone # (which I assumed was in case you had a card but forgot it). 
However, the cashier had me put my number in and that worked, even though I never had a Giant (MD) card.
So, I don't know if any random number would work, or if by using the phone # it then somehow taps into a larger corporate database (as I may have registered the phone # with either the Martins or SNS cards)?

If any random number would work then why would the even take the time to put it in why not just hit a magic button that gave you the "discounts"? I would try it out but I already have a card for every giant/martins store around me.

[MikeRa]

I officially hate giant I now have 3 giant cards one for the md division, pa division, and another for giant eagle, oh and my martins card. WHY!?!? OMG WHY!? I get that giant eagle is a totally different company so that's fine but someone please explain to me why Giant PA, Giant MD, and Martins can't all take the same card? If you wan't to have separate divisions that's fine but the least they could do is all take the same damn card.

The only thing I know is that (at least as of a couple years ago) the MD Giant chain's checkouts wouldn't accept either the Martin's (which I wound up with in VA many years ago) or the Stop 'n Shop (since those are close to us here in NY, either on the MA side or further south in Dutchess County) cards.
However, I did find out something interesting - at least for getting the sale prices.  There was an option where it came up to put in your phone # (which I assumed was in case you had a card but forgot it). 
However, the cashier had me put my number in and that worked, even though I never had a Giant (MD) card.
So, I don't know if any random number would work, or if by using the phone # it then somehow taps into a larger corporate database (as I may have registered the phone # with either the Martins or SNS cards)?

If any random number would work then why would the even take the time to put it in why not just hit a magic button that gave you the "discounts"? I would try it out but I already have a card for every giant/martins store around me.

I have a GIANT [PA] card, and a old Super G card.  I haven't tried using the GIANT [PA] card at the Stop&Shop locations in Northern NJ yet

[FitchMike26]

To clear a few things up...

Giant-Carlisle (also known as Giant in PA) and Martin's *do* have interchangeable store cards. I have used my Giant-Carlisle card in Martin's stores, and vice versa.

Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover (also known as Giant of Maryland) cards do not work at Giant-Carlisle or Martin's.

SOMETIMES (emphasis on sometimes) you can use a Stop & Shop card at Giant-Landover, and vice versa. The issue seems to be related to how "new" your card is, and how "new" the cash registers are. A Brand new card from one sometimes works at the other. Older cards def do not work at the other.

Giant Eagle cards will only work at Giant Eagle, as they have nothing to do with any of the stores I mentioned above.

[MikeRa]

To clear a few things up...

Giant-Carlisle (also known as Giant in PA) and Martin's *do* have interchangeable store cards. I have used my Giant-Carlisle card in Martin's stores, and vice versa.

Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover (also known as Giant of Maryland) cards do not work at Giant-Carlisle or Martin's.

SOMETIMES (emphasis on sometimes) you can use a Stop & Shop card at Giant-Landover, and vice versa. The issue seems to be related to how "new" your card is, and how "new" the cash registers are. A Brand new card from one sometimes works at the other. Older cards def do not work at the other.

Giant Eagle cards will only work at Giant Eagle, as they have nothing to do with any of the stores I mentioned above.

I don't have a modern GIANT [MD]/Stop & Shop card, but the old Super G card, so I would assume that card won't work at Stop & Shop.

[FitchMike26]

MikeRA, you are correct. An older Super G card will def not work at Stop & Shop.

However, if you visit the service desk of a Giant-Landover store, and get a new card, that might work.

I've had my best success swapping between these cards when I use a brand new card, at a relatively new store. For example, using my new Stop & Shop card at a newly opened Giant-Landover store.

[Stork of The Weak]

Here's something really mysterious: when Ahold asked permission from the FTC to buy Giant Landover/Super G back in 1998, Super G was forced to sell several PA stores to the Shop N Save division of Supervalu for the purpose of "preserving competition", yet when Giant bought the Clemens/FoodSource chain of about 20 stores in 2006, the FTC allowed the deal, and when Giant bought 15 Genuardi's stores in 2012, the FTC stopped Giant from buying only one that they made an offer for, and only because an Acme was very close by and the only other supermarket in town! So that Genuardi's ended up as a McCaffery's, part of a local gourmet chain.

Even more confusing is that a former Super Fresh in Maryland that opened in 1995 but was sold to Giant Landover in 1997 was given the Giant name and not the Super G name, even though it seemed the Super G name was to be used on all large (by 90's standards) Giant Landover stores. This Giant ended up closing soon afterward anyway and Hobby Lobby is now at the site. Unfortunately a Walmart Supercenter, Sam's Club, and Save-A-Lot are now the only places nearby to get groceries.

Super G had a store in Wilmington DE which was VERY close to the PA state line. Surprisingly it was renamed Super Giant around the same time the Super G stores in NJ became Stop & Shop, even though this could create confusion with the Super Giant (PA) stores such as the one in Willow Grove that this whole Giant/Martin's section was accidentally named after. But only about two years later this store got the new Giant/Stop & Shop logo anyway, and the word "super" disappeared for good. Around the same time the NJ Super G/Stop & Shop stores were sold to ShopRite. Ironically the Edwards stores in NJ had been renamed Super G around the same time Shop N Save closed their eastern PA stores, all of which had been Super G for a short time before 1998. Edwards and later Super G had a store in Trenton that closed in 2005, which I think was the only NJ Super G to never become Stop & Shop, and it now is an independent store called Food Bazaar (which interestingly has a logo that obviously ripped off Grand Union, who went bankrupt and left the area around the same time this store switched from Edwards to Super G). And at one time Pathmark was supposed to be sold to Ahold, with the Edwards stores being renamed Pathmark, but that plan must have been turned down completely by the FTC at the last minute.

Also, the former Super G/Shop N Save in Hilltown PA became a Clemens, but it was one of the only ones (if not THE only one) to close and become neither Giant nor Super Fresh. And Giant has a store in Norristown that sits very close to both a former Clemens and a former Genuardi's, so the Clemens became a Super Fresh and the Genuardi's became a Weis. On top of that, a former Super G/Shop N Save is close by that now is a ShopRite. Acme used to have a 70's store across the street that closed as soon as ShopRite came to town, becoming a Big Lots, but the former Super G/Shop N Save at the other end of Norristown was made an Acme Sav-on, one of the few new Acme stores opened under Albertsons ownership.

Super G/Shop N Save also had a store in Yardley PA that became a Super Fresh, but that closed when A&P went bankrupt two years back. And this store's main competitor through all three owners was a tiny Giant from the 80's which is still open, even though moving to the empty Super G site would seem to be perfect for them. Perhaps the 1998 FTC settlement makes it illegal for Giant to open here even though Super G is long gone from the area? The FoodSource division of Clemens and later Giant Carlisle once had a store in Delaware that was probably the object of some sort of dispute, because non-union Giant Carlisle has no presence in Delaware while unionized Giant Landover does. Perhaps this store was legally part of the Stop & Shop/Giant Landover division of Ahold at one point? Or maybe run by Martin's offices in Maryland or Virginia as a compromise?

And I have one last big question: was Super G planning to convert their PA stores to Giant (the PA chain NOT the mother of Super G) when the merger was restricted by the FTC? Because I wonder if maybe Super G wanted to keep their name in PA while coexisting with the local Giant chain, and this was really the FTC's concern because consumers might be unaware that the two would be part of the same company? I imagine Ahold may have been unwilling to compromise and rename the Super G stores Giant Carlisle (I'm assuming what Ahold wanted to do was keep the Super G name as is) because that would create confusion and dilute the trademarks of both chains with Giant in the name, but unfortunately for Ahold I guess they had to divest stores to preserve the integrity of the Giant/Martin's and Super G/Giant divisions.

Super G had a store in Wayne PA in the same cluster of stores as a Super Fresh, which now is a Pathmark. This Super G was allowed to remain open after all the other PA stores closed, but it closed due to low sales anyway not long afterward. It's amazing to think if it had stayed open, it instead of its biggest competitor might have been renamed Pathmark if Ahold had also swallowed that chain. I could see the Super Fresh closing and becoming a ShopRite though, and as we all know ShopRite is a very tough competitor. And if the Super Fresh had closed in the late 90's (as many Super Fresh stores only a few years old did) it wouldn't be too unusual if this particular store became a Genuardi's at first, but then a ShopRite later.

[Stork of The Weak]

Giant Carlisle VERY rarely closes stores, unlike Stop & Shop and Giant Landover. Also it seems Giant/Martin's is much more upscale than the other two. Maybe in the future Stop & Shop will be converted to Giant Carlisle, and Giant Landover will be converted to Martin's?

[RoleModel]

Giant Carlisle VERY rarely closes stores, unlike Stop & Shop and Giant Landover. Also it seems Giant/Martin's is much more upscale than the other two. Maybe in the future Stop & Shop will be converted to Giant Carlisle, and Giant Landover will be converted to Martin's?

I think if anything happens, Giant and Giant become one Giant, and Stop & Shop and Martin's remain the same. There's too much name equity in Stop & Shop, and Martin's is used partly to not confuse people with Giant Eagle.

As it is, the circulars, store layouts, technology and new features are becoming increasingly uniform.

[Stork of The Weak]

That former Super Fresh in Berwyn would have made a PERFECT replacement for the Genuardi's in Chesterbrook up the street.

[BillyGr]

I think if anything happens, Giant and Giant become one Giant, and Stop & Shop and Martin's remain the same. There's too much name equity in Stop & Shop, and Martin's is used partly to not confuse people with Giant Eagle.

Some of the Martin's could switch to Giant - I remember seeing the Martin's name in Virginia, and I think it was used there since when those stores opened the PA Giant was still a separate company from the MD Giant.

Thus having a PA Giant store in parts of VA could have been confusing with the MD Giants nearby. 

Of course, now that they are all owned by one company, it wouldn't matter.

[FitchMike26]

I haven't checked the posts here in a few days. I'm going to give as much info as I can at once. I hope no one minds.

1) Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover will likely never merge. Why? Because Ahold wants to keep the unions out of Giant-Carlisle. This is why Giant-Landover was merged into Stop & Shop, which was already unionized.

2) The Martin's name is used anytime a store is within a certain proximity to Giant-Landover or Giant Eagle. The Ukrop's stores took on the Martin's name to avoid confusion with Giant-Landover, too.

3) The FTC is much less interested in anti-trust/competition issues nowadays than they were in the 1990s. Many mergers happen nowadays that would not have been approved 20 years ago. This is why the Ahold purchase of Giant-Landover required store divestitures, whereas recent acquisitions have required very few, or none.

4) Giant-Landover (which Stork refers to as Super G) still operates 6 stores in Delaware, including the one you mention on Route 202, just south of the PA state line. This store is still open, and is only 6 miles away, on the same road, as a Giant-Carlisle store (Dillworthtown Crossing, West Chester). Confusion does exist among locals.

5) The Hilltown PA store that was built as a Giant-Landover closed in 1998 and was sold to Clemens. Clemens opted to close a much older, smaller store in Hatfield to relocate to Hilltown. When Giant-Carlisle bought Clemens, they opted to close the Hilltown store, and build a brand new store on the site of the former Clemens in Hatfield. This was a smart decision, as the Walmart in the same Hilltown shopping center was planning to expand into a Supercenter, which has since opened. The former Hilltown store sits empty to this day.

6) The Yardley Giant-Carlisle was heavily renovated in late 2010, having a grand reopening in March of 2011. The SuperFresh/former Giant-Landover nearby was only announced as closing in early 2011. It's unlikely that Giant-Carlisle would have vacated a store they just spent millions renovating, to relocate to a location that likely would also need renovating. Besides, I hear the Yardley store is a very high volume, successful Giant-Carlisle. We also don't know who is holding the lease on the SuperFresh/former Giant-Landover. It's entirely possible that A&P does not want anyone else moving in there.

7) Here's a photo of the Giant-Carlisle in Yardley: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62355920@N00/6912781592/in/photolist-bwRP8w-bwSiWS-bKM2rn-6uWXND-6v2oxG-ds2BJ7

8) Here's a photo of the former Giant-Landover/SuperFresh in Yardley: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62355920@N00/3610219052/

9) When Giant-Carlisle purchased Clemens, only one Foodsource location was part of that deal: Bryn Mawr. Giant never operated the store in Greenville DE or Glen Mills PA. For a VERY short time, these 2 stores were operated by C&S Wholesalers, who quickly closed the stores. A&P?SuperFresh wasn't interested in purchasing them, so C&S found other buyers for the leases. The Fresh Market operates in the Glen Mills space, and Janssen's Market operates in the Greenville spot.

[Stork of The Weak]

Thanks FitchMike26. I think the former Shoppers Food Warehouse in Fredericksburg, VA (may still be empty but I haven't been to that area to check in almost two years) might be a former Super G but that's just a guess based on the way it looks, and Super G didn't really have any unique building designs. Would you happen to know if it was one?

[FitchMike26]

As far as I know, the Shoppers Food in the Central Park Shopping Center in Fredericksburg opened with the center in 1994. Here's a link mentioning the store closing in 2011, and it mentions the store existed there for 17 years:

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/012011/01112011/599709

[Stork of The Weak]

Thanks again! I did in fact find that article a long time ago, but considering the fact 1994 was the opening date, I was thinking it could have been a Super G because that was around the same time they started a huge wave of expansion that continued up to 1997. Also, Shoppers is/was a division of Supervalu, which seems to have very similar stores (but of course in a different part of the country) to Shop N Save which bought a lot of the former Super G stores. I guess the combination of Wegmans and a Walmart Supercenter both down the street must have been too much for Shoppers to handle in Fredericksburg.

Giant Landover currently has a store in Alexandria VA that I think may have opened with the Super G name, but last I checked (which was three years ago) it had the regular Giant name with the old logo, not the Super Giant name. Either way it now is due to get the fruit slice logo shared with Stop & Shop if it hasn't already.

One more question I have for you anyway: do you think Super G would have closed in Greater Philly anyway even if Ahold hadn't come into the picture? It seems they were the only supermarket chain in the area before Wegmans that entered the region after 1985 with all new, state of the art stores, which definitely was an advantage for them. Even Giant and Genuardi's did struggle to update certain smaller, older stores during the 90's. Also Super G didn't have any room to expand in Philadelphia itself. Their store in Berwyn closed officially due to low sales, but might have had better sales if the other stores nearby had been allowed to stay open.

[FitchMike26]

1994 was the opening date of the Central Park Shopping Center *and* the Shoppers Food. That's really my only basis for thinking the store was never a Giant-Landover.

Also, Richfood did not purchase Shoppers until 1998, and then Richfood was purchased by SuperValu in 1999.

In regards to Alenandria VA, that store was always a Giant-Landover. I am not sure what name was on the outside when it opened. You seem extremely fond of the "Super G" name. Is there a reason for that? A Super G store is really no different from a regular Giant-Landover store. It's just a name on the outside of the building; just like there's no difference between Giant-Carlisle and Martin's.

It's hard to say what would have happened in the Philly market if Ahold hadn't purchased Giant-Landover. They did have a few nice locations; but even today, many of those locations are hard to get to. The Berwyn store (near King of Prussia) never did any business. After it closed, several other failed businesses have taken up that spot. Simply put, it was a bad place to put a retail store. The Barnes & Noble in the same center does a decent business, but it's the only bookstore for miles and miles. Even King of Prussia lacks a bookstore now.

Many retailers have tried to enter the competitive Philadelphia market with groceries. Right now, you just have so many options: ACME, Giant-Carlisle, Shoprite, Wegmans, SuperFresh/Pathmark, Redner's, Walmart Supercenter, Target P'fresh, Food Lion/Bottom Dollar, Thriftway/Shop & Bag, Genuardi's/Safeway, and I am probably forgetting one or two. It's just an over-saturated market.

If Giant-Landover HAD succeeded, it would have been at the expense of someone else. I'm not sure who would have been pushed out. Maybe Genuardi's sooner, or even Pathmark/Superfresh. It would have been helpful if one of these chains exited the market and sold their stores/leases to Giant-Landover.

[Stork of The Weak]

It's not uncommon at all for news sources to omit important facts in articles about stores/shopping centers, or get those facts wrong, so I always infer more than an article tells me.

I only brought up Supervalu and its ownership of Shoppers because my impression is that Shoppers and Shop N Save both under Supervalu ownership have become the same basic concept, but used in different regions, not unlike Giant Landover now is to Stop & Shop.

I focus on the Super G name because it (when first used) represented an unofficial distinction between modern and outdated Giant Landover stores. The name never carried any force of law different from the Giant name, but the Super G name would in the 90's have represented a much bigger, nicer store than an older Giant Landover in inner-city Baltimore for example, which may have been a very old, decrepit store that started life as Acme or maybe another chain that has long since vacated Baltimore such as Food Fair/Pantry Pride (who Acme itself bought a number of former stores from in Philadelphia, including some former Penn Fruit stores).

As for Martin's, I know next to nothing about their history before 1970, but up to that point they were an independent chain that was then bought by Giant, which eventually in 1981 was bought by Ahold. I've never seen a picture of a Martin's building that matches the Giant stores built in the 80's (most of which were quickly replaced or at least remodeled, including the facades) so perhaps Martin's grew much faster than Giant grew its own chain during the 70's, meaning new Martin's didn't have to be built in the 80's?

Also the Berwyn store I wouldn't compare to anything in King of Prussia. Despite proximity, King of Prussia and Berwyn are in two different counties (Montgomery and Chester) and Berwyn is on the Main Line, while King of Prussia is not. While a lot of Main Liners definitely love King of Prussia Mall, most wouldn't want a mall anywhere on the Main Line itself. Also, the former Super G in Berwyn to my knowledge was subdivided between Linens N Things and PetSmart, then the former Linens N Things (which closed with that chain about five years ago) became a Big Lots which it is to this day. So that particular location isn't so terrible, but it doesn't have the great visibility of Gateway Shopping Center nearby where A&P was and later Super Fresh originally was.

As far as the oversaturation of the Philly market with supermarkets, now that so many consolidations have occurred, such as Giant/Genuardi's, Giant/Clemens, A&P (Super Fresh)/Pathmark, The Fresh Grocer/ShopRite, etc, it isn't really that saturated anymore. And back in the 90's it may have been, but Save-A-Lot was the only discount grocer anywhere in the region (and was smaller than it now is, and already limited to poorer communities as it always has been), not to mention the fact that most chains all seemed to be spread out just fine. Also it seems Redner's may be swallowed by Giant, because Giant already bought a Redner's in Lancaster that never closed to sit empty.

But I just realized something... three (East Norriton, Yardley, Warminster) of the five Super G stores required to be divested were already very close to a Giant Carlisle store, two of which opened in the 80's. The Eagleville (west of Norristown) and Hilltown stores were far enough away though, which along with the Berwyn paired with NJ and DE stores would have made for plenty to stay open. Giant did open a store at the former Jamesway site in Souderton in 2000, less than a mile north on 309 from the former Super G. It's interesting Giant could have opened at the Jamesway site as early as 1996 if they wanted to (Jamesway went out of business in late 1995) and possibly have opened before the Super G did in 1996. Also the Walmart in Harleysville opened next to an original Clemens that opened at the same time, and continues today as a small Giant. This would have seemed to have been a good site for Super G because their only competition would have been the independent Henning's store down the street (which relocated to a former Grant City/Jamesway site in the 2000s after it had sat vacant a long time) and the Landis Thriftway at the other far end of Harleysville, which is small but does have the advantage of a state store (closed Sundays though) for a neighbor.

[FitchMike26]

I appreciate you explaining your Super G thinking to me. I never got to experience any of the smaller, outdated Giant-Landover stores in the 80s and 90s. Your thinking makes perfect sense to me. I'd love to hear of any still existing small, outdated Giant-Landover stores you can think of. I spend a lot of time in Maryland and Virginia, and would love to check one out sometime. By comparison, some of Giant-Carlisle's oldest, still open stores include downtown Lancaster, West York, Lewistown, Pottsville, and Waynesboro (which uses the Martin's name).

I live in King of Prussia, so I'm very familiar with the situation between KOP and Berwyn. In fact, for a time I worked in the restaurant next to the Giant-Landover in Berwyn. It was a beautiful store, but it did no business. After it closed, a number of different retailers have operated in the space. I think you're right that one was Linens & Things, but I feel that at least one or tow other stores have been in that space, too.

I don't see Redner's being swallowed by Giant-Carlisle. Redner's is employee owned, and it would make zero sense for those employees to sell their stock or agree to a merger.

The former Giant-Landover in Eagleville (now ACME) is only a mile and a half from the existing Giant-Carlisle store on Egypt Rd. Both stores are technically in Lower Providence Township.

[store215]

Super G (or Giant MD) would have done awful if they stuck around any longer. I'm not sure they captured much market share during the few years they were around, and the stores were all very 'awkward'. The layouts of the stores were all very odd and difficult to shop, and even the shopping carts they used were TINY. I don't remember the pricing being very competitive either, but not too high either (basically, on the same level Giant-PA is now). (My nearest 'Super G' became a short-lived Shop 'n Save, then a ShopRite (both kept everything the same from Super G, although ShopRite replaced the carts). Then, another ShopRite owner took over the spot and completely gutted the building and made a much more standard layout. And this store does extremely well as a ShopRite, despite a Wegmans right down the road, and being in a shopping center next to a Giant (PA) store.

[FitchMike26]

MBZ321, which former Giant-Landover store are you referring to? I'd like to check out this Shoprite.

[Stork of The Weak]

MBZ321, which former Giant-Landover store are you referring to? I'd like to check out this Shoprite.

Sorry to answer for him but I'm pretty sure this would be the store in Warminster. It's notable for being in a center next door to a center with a Giant (which was there first but has changed a lot over the years). The Giant is across from two former supermarkets that also are on the same corner. One was a Pathmark that closed in 2006 or 2007 and then was a "Waterloo Gardens" nursery store that closed after a short run. There also was a Food Fair/Pantry Pride that later was an early Genuardi's and now is a PETCO. Warminster also has an Acme from the 90's, but at the other end of town. Not sure but it may have replaced an earlier Acme (possibly more than one, because it wasn't too uncommon for 50's/early 60's Acmes to be replaced by slightly larger stores in the late 60's or 70's).

[store215]

MBZ321, which former Giant-Landover store are you referring to? I'd like to check out this Shoprite.

Sorry to answer for him but I'm pretty sure this would be the store in Warminster. It's notable for being in a center next door to a center with a Giant (which was there first but has changed a lot over the years). The Giant is across from two former supermarkets that also are on the same corner. One was a Pathmark that closed in 2006 or 2007 and then was a "Waterloo Gardens" nursery store that closed after a short run. There also was a Food Fair/Pantry Pride that later was an early Genuardi's and now is a PETCO. Warminster also has an Acme from the 90's, but at the other end of town. Not sure but it may have replaced an earlier Acme (possibly more than one, because it wasn't too uncommon for 50's/early 60's Acmes to be replaced by slightly larger stores in the late 60's or 70's).

Correct, Warminster. And the ShopRite is nothing really interesting to see, although it is a nice store (and they have been doing Triple coupons for the past year now, and they also take all Giant coupons, which is great if you are a couponing person). In comparison, the Giant next to here is pretty run down and feels dirty, and is really overdue for a remodel. When ShopRite moved in after Shop 'n Save, the business at Pathmark pretty much tanked. (And is still empty today, after being a garden store as mentioned, and a short lived flea market. Oh, there is also an old closed Kmart right up the road...lots of empty retail in this area).

There actually was an Acme in Warminster...not sure when it closed but I'm guessing the mid to late 80's. Is was on the corner of Street and York Rds. (It was later a Drug Emporium until the chain folded, and then was demolished for a new Rite Aid (which moved over from the 'FoodFair/Genuardi's/Petco center across the road).

The current Acme in Warminster is right on the boarder of Warminster and Southampton and opened in the early-mid 2000's, and is a pretty low-performing store from what I can see. (And the opening of a nearby Weis probably hasn't helped). [The current Acme shopping center once had a Thriftway until the late 90's/2001 at the latest. Acme built from the ground up next to the shopping center strip]. This store is technically a relocation from Southampton, PA, which was a 70's/80's style store (in itself, was a relocation from a much older 'A-Frame' Acme across the street, now Jo-Ann fabrics) that got creamed when a Giant opened a couple hundred feet away from it in the late 90's. (That Acme space no longer holds a grocery store, but it was briefly a McCaffrey's (after tons of $$ was spent to gut and remodel from Acme), and then a Fresh Grocer, but neither lasted more than a year).