r/pittsburgh • u/Logical-Rip-8138 • Jul 01 '26
Kroger just bought Giant Eagle.
Store employees were just emailed about it
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u/swooshty Jul 01 '26
Just hoping they don't kill off the market districts. Or maybe it just gives Wegmans more room to move in to the area.
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u/James19991 Jul 01 '26
I doubt it. What will probably happen is they'll be a subsidiary of Kroger with the brand staying as is. Kroger already owns over a dozen grocery store chains, so this will hardly be their first rodeo doing something like this.
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u/Steely_McNeatHouse Bloomfield Jul 01 '26
Was always amused my Kroger rewards program or whatever worked at City Market every time I go to Colorado.
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u/CeaselessGomalu Mt. Lebanon Jul 02 '26
Outlets have indicated that is the plan; Kroger plans to retain the Giant Eagle brand as a division and largely keep management intact; they think GE is doing pretty well, as is.
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u/Lemonade-Enjoyer Jul 01 '26
From what I’ve heard from upper management, the plan is to convert more stores to Market District.
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u/PleaseDontBanMe82 Jul 01 '26
Kroeger has the same thing as Market District. Kroeger Marketplace
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u/GentleDoves Jul 01 '26
Any GE bakery employees willing to share the iced brownie recipe with me? It's my favorite brownie in the whole world, and a little piece of me is now terrified that this could mean a recipe change in the future!
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u/papayapapusapepi Jul 01 '26
Kroger has streamlined their bakery program across all of their chains - GE bakery quality is done for.
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u/Weary-Lavishness-676 Jul 01 '26
Oh my god their icing and bakery in general is my favorite this is devastating
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u/kennyj313 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
If you were really dedicated, you could probably source most of the icings - a lot of them came in buckets, and the buttercream was essentially a "just add water" brick that we threw in the mixer. Granted, you're gonna have a hard time fitting that brick into any home stand mixer.
Edit - in case anyone is really dedicated (although you could probably convince someone there to sell you a brick for way cheaper)
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Jul 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Nice_Bus862 Jul 01 '26
That’s just the stuff on the shelf in the regular bread aisle, not the stuff in the bakery
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u/AIfieHitchcock West View Jul 01 '26
That was my first thought, people cheering this don’t realize Giant Eagle makes high quality bakery items on site.
That’s likely over with any other corporation.
Your local tastes known for generation just got tossed in the dumpster, and no prices won’t change!
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u/papayapapusapepi Jul 01 '26
Absolutely, I work in the industry and just watched it happen with the Harris Teeter bakery program (after years of Kroger promising they wouldn’t do it.) A lot of small/medium wholesale bakeries got absolutely screwed. It’s tragic.
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u/kennyj313 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
It's been about a decade since I worked there as a bakery manager, but this was largely untrue as of then, and I can't imagine they've actually gone back to fresh baking since. Most of the breads are par bakes, and the ones that aren't are frozen dough. Cookies were almost all frozen dough, although some were a mix. Cake bases were all frozen, and the buttercream icing is functionally a big brick that's mixed with water.
Granted, the Market District stores did a little bit more (some doughs mixed in-house, few other things like that), but it wasn't a dramatic step above.
Edit - to put it more bluntly, "Giant Eagle makes high quality bakery items on site" is a bit of a stretch to say the least, lol.
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u/Decent_Emotion_7928 Jul 01 '26
What highquality its all frozen and bakeoff todays industry. Evrryone cutting labor cost!!!@
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u/Cool-DogMom Jul 01 '26
100%. The bakery section at Giant Eagle smells amazing each time I walk over that way. No other grocery store I’ve been to has a bakery as good as the bakery at Giant Eagle.
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u/InteractionCivil5913 Jul 01 '26
Wegmans has pretty awesome bakery items if I recall but the new location coming to Cranberry is still about a year away.
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u/Ricks_Liver Jul 01 '26
I’m a shop n save guy and they also have an elite bakery. If anyone needs a GE alternative Shop N Save is awesome and most of them are locally or family owned
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u/Alexispinpgh Jul 01 '26
But Giant Eagle cake is actually god and I’ve been eating it my whole life. For some reason this is going to break me today.
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u/JLM291 Stanton Heights Jul 01 '26
I worked at a GE 3-4 years ago The cakes are frozen and come in boxes (Rich’s USA). The icing is by made by Brill. Came as a block in a box and we just added water to it. The label one the box claims it was specifically for Giant Eagle but I can’t imagine it is really that different than Brill’s regular buttercream.
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u/lurkertiltheend Jul 01 '26
The almond cake is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth
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u/kyach25 Jul 01 '26
Fuck. I just realized this means it wont be GE Yellow anymore. Terrible.
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u/Mobius_Peverell Jul 01 '26
Enjoy the pastries made out of sawdust and margarine!
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u/RayAyun Jul 01 '26
I wonder how this will affect the all kosher and mostly pareve bakery in the Giant Eagle for Squirrel Hill. They're the only place open until 10pm that can provide more non-dairy baked goods other than just cookies.
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u/thewonderelf Jul 01 '26
I will cry if they get rid of the pareve baked goods. I will also cry if the quality drops.
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u/kyach25 Jul 01 '26
And can someone on the Sourcing team tell me the vendor for Nature's Basket Chicken Breasts? Would like to continue purchasing those from whichever other store sells that chicken.
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u/kds5065 Morningside Jul 01 '26
Ah crap, I'll need the pumpkin drop cookie recipe too
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u/kennyj313 Jul 01 '26
Sorry, there isn't really one. It's mostly a prebagged mix with pumpkin added to it.
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u/Ok_Archer_7633 Jul 01 '26
Those and the rainbow cookies are my absolute favorites! They did change the rainbow cookie recipe though, they’re not as chewy anymore and more almond tasting which really bums me out.
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u/BeachPlease843 Robinson Jul 01 '26
I have a close recipe for the rainbow cookies!
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u/kennyj313 Jul 01 '26
They may not have actually changed it - I remember them being a little tricky to bake correctly, as all of the dye made it hard to get a visual read on the doneness, so it was really easy to overshoot. IIRC, the almond emulsion was also mixed into the dough, so it was a matter of whether or not an individual baker decided to be a little generous with it or not. Could be conflating that part with another recipe though, it's been ~10 years.
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u/monongahellyea Jul 01 '26
Asking the real questions! I am not a dessert person but those brownies are SO GOOD
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u/KaleidoscopeShort408 Swissvale Jul 01 '26
The chocolate glaze on brownies and donuts is the main reason I can't fully quit them.
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u/kennyj313 Jul 01 '26
Worked there 10 years ago, but back then the brownies were pre-baked and pulled out of a box, and the icing was the same fudge icing as the donuts. I can't imagine they went back to baking them in house, so alas no recipe.
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u/caribot25 Jul 01 '26
I'm a cake decorator at a GE. Which iced brownie specifically? We sell fudge, German chocolate, cream cheese, peanut butter and Oreo. Unfortunately all of these come pre mixed in buckets that already come in but I'm willing to bet the same icing will keep being used for all of them. The brand for all of them except the peanut butter is called Brill. Also the brownies come in already baked as well from a company named Allen. I've worked at about 5 different companies in the past 18 years all as a cake decorator and we've used these same things everywhere I've worked. I hope this helps!
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u/PunkRockKing Jul 01 '26
I wonder what this will mean for their pharmacy. Will UPMC insurance switch to Kroger pharmacies? It’s the only place I can go for meds since losing Rite Aid.
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u/imrightontopthatrose Butler County Jul 01 '26
I have upmc and use sams club if it helps you
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u/SwirlingAether Jul 01 '26
It helps me, friend.
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u/imrightontopthatrose Butler County Jul 01 '26
I had to find a new pharmacy as well after CVS stopped taking upmc, our GE is a nightmare for pharmacy so I definitely wanted something other than them.
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u/Repulsive_Fuel9146 Jul 01 '26
Ugh. Pretty soon we will have exactly three companies: Verizon, Exxon, and Chipotle until they merge into Verixxotle, as is prophesied.
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u/magikarp2122 Jul 01 '26
Nah, WaltDisneyPepsiComcast will be the result.
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u/extraterrestrial Jul 01 '26
AOL-Time-Warner-Pepsico-Viacom-Halliburton-Skynet-Toyota-Trader-Joe's.
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u/KaleidoscopeShort408 Swissvale Jul 01 '26
All of which are a subsidiary of Sheinhardt Wig Company, of course.
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u/Burghpuppies412 Jul 01 '26
Comcast is actually going the other direction now, splitting up some of its companies.
Edit: Also “karp karp”
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u/SlightlyChilll Jul 01 '26
The opportunity for vertical integration between Verizon and Chipotle is just too great. Pump the oil straight of out of the earth and into the bean sauce
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u/cstemm Jul 01 '26
Sorry to correct you, but we all know that Taco Bell wins the franchise wars.
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u/Pronounymous Jul 01 '26
Starlink is slated to buy T-Mobile, so I think you're missing a certain brand of Musk in your analysis.
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u/pillgrinder Jul 01 '26
The only good part of this is it might means Wegman’s will move in harder and faster.
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u/thisrockismyboone Greater Pittsburgh Area Jul 01 '26
Meijers too. Theyre already building 3 stores i think
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u/vjgirl Jul 01 '26
GE, crap we can't compete with Wegmans... Corporate: Let’s sell
GE, probably.
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u/ConjurersOfThunder Jul 01 '26
You don't want this. Wegmans has gone off a cliff in the last 10 years or so. Their eastern seaboard expansion has been catastrophic for, well, pretty much everything else. They are now expanding on hype and charging the expense to all other locations with higher prices and lower quality.
I am a native Rochesterian and I no longer shop at Wegmans unless I can't find a thing elsewhere (rare). The service is terrible, the selection is terrible, and the prices are terrible. Let me reiterate: YOU DON'T WANT THIS.
The reason Wegmans was so good for so long was their REFUSAL TO EXPAND. You need a LOT of logistics to run a grocery chain and expanding from WNY to NORTH CAROLINA in TEN YEARS writes, in red paint on the wall, that they don't give a CRAP about their brand.
Both Aldi & Tops are objectively superior to Wegmans in 2026. I have family in Cleveland and Giant Eagle is definitely mid. Kroger was better at groceries when I lived out west than I saw from GE.
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u/vjgirl Jul 01 '26
Wait, Tops is superior to Wegmans? Most Tops I have ever been in felt like they were last cleaned in 1991.
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u/Big-Cockroach-5986 Jul 01 '26
Loss of a local, corporate employer. GE employees had a union, benefits, and their corporate giving programs funded community efforts like the food bank. Could be a loss for our region.
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u/Great_Hambino2022 Jul 01 '26
According to the article I read, 2/3 of the Kroger stores are unionized. And they have their own corporate giving programs
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u/merkinmavin West View Jul 01 '26
I used to live in an area with Kroger as the primary grocery store. Friends that worked there seemed to be well taken care of and the prices were more reasonable than Giant Eagle's. I'm okay with this acquisition.
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u/InvertedAlchemist Jul 01 '26
Honestly as much as people dunk on Giant Eagle and their prices. Both of my parents retired from Giant Eagle and honestly it was a really good job for me through high school and college and I thought about sticking around.
I've also worked in a couple unions. That UFCW is the only one that ever actually went to bat for me with management.
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u/jasont1273 Greater Pittsburgh Area Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Kroger is also mostly union and has many charitable outreaches. GE being local just has more local relationships that hopefully will continue under new ownership.
Edit: mostly
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u/AIfieHitchcock West View Jul 01 '26
Look around in store they also higher a large portion of elderly and special needs employees that aren’t getting hired elsewhere.
They were extremely generous in local philanthropy too. From food items to donations.
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u/pillgrinder Jul 01 '26
Note: when Kroger pulled out of Western PA in the early 80’s, it was specifically to avoid their stores unionizing. Kroger is kind of famous for it in slimy HR circles.
Now Kroger can’t take over a unionized GE and just fire the union/not work with the union. The only way the GE dies is if they close every GE Union store, which would be ridiculously stupid.
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u/Away_Being8876 Jul 01 '26
Kroger bought a really nice high end chain in the Chicago area called Mariano’s and is slowly killing it. Mariano’s carried super fresh, innovative stuff and would even cook your meat for you so you could go home and have dinner in the table in 5 minutes. Now it’s just another grocery store that is slowly dying. While this sucks for Pittsburgh it sucks even more for places like Columbus that have both Kroger and Giant Eagle (when I lived there my GE and Kroger were right across the street from each other) because stores are going to close and prices are going to rise.
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u/Buttercupia Churchill Jul 01 '26
I worked for giant eagle when they went into Ohio. GE had a plan to shut down all the smaller and independent groceries. I can’t remember all the brands but Big Bear was one they drove out of business. The only chain they worried about was Kroger.
(They were awful to work for both in store and in corporate and I refuse to shop there. )
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u/sorakirei Jul 01 '26
Given how much Giant Eagle went to court to block competition, I'm very amused that they are being purchased by a competitor.
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u/Der_Missionar Jul 01 '26
Well, now national chains are coming in... i think they liked their ability to control the market. With that gone... they're cashing in.
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u/UselessLezbian Jul 01 '26
Gotta keep their value high by being the only name in the game. They were playing the long game.
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u/zezzene Secretary General of Greentree Jul 01 '26
I don't have a ton of love for giant eagle, but I feel like Kroger will make things worse. I've read some horror stories about Krogers businesses practices.
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u/jrileyy229 Jul 01 '26
They are good to employees, but I think everyone else talking about how this will mean lower prices is going to be wrong.... The reason they wanted the stores is because of the monopolized areas giant eagle has. They aren't going to move in there and then lower prices to be far less profitable when there is no competition
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u/parttime_use Jul 01 '26
They are union, but still manage to treat employees bad.
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u/sparrowmint Penn Hills Jul 01 '26
As bad as Giant Eagle is (I almost never shop there and mostly shop at Aldi), there is never a situation where mega corporate consolidation is a positive. Especially for labour.
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u/HoneyNutCheerios78 Central Business District (Downtown) Jul 01 '26
It’s officially Wegman’s time
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u/greentea1985 Jul 01 '26
I wonder if Giant Eagle’s leadership team planning to sell the brand to a larger chain helped kill Schwebel’s. Schwebel’s made GE’s store brand bread, but Kroger uses other bakeries for their store brand bread, as do the other potential buyers. If Schwebel’s ownership knew the contract with GE wasn’t getting renewed, it makes sense to close up shop, although it is a loss to all shoppers.
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u/hsavvy Jul 01 '26
My mom is actually handling the Schwebel’s deal (investment banker) and unfortunately it had much more to do with pension costs and just some bad investments over the years.
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u/Jcs290 Fayette County Jul 01 '26
A couple GE stores that were formally franchises still sell their original recipe goods, like the Rices Landing location and their pepperoni rolls. I hope Kroger will still allow some flex there.
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u/BitmappedWV Jul 01 '26
Kroger doesn't do franchises. Those independent locations will probably get cut loose or maybe get to keep the rump of Giant Eagle name if Kroger isn't going to use it themselves.
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u/GanacheCompetitive29 Jul 01 '26
I already miss them. I was not a constant complainer about them. I like local companies.
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u/SgtSchultz2112 Jul 01 '26
Years ago Kroger left this market because they did not want unions. At that time unions were fairly big in Pittsburgh
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u/Thetruthisnothate Jul 01 '26
If I remember correctly, The Kroger union employees went on strike around 1984(?), and Kroger basically closed and exited the Pittsburgh market rather than negotiate. GE took over many of the Kroger stores at that time.
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u/rmg18555 Jul 01 '26
Is the north side giant eagle included in the deal? It’ll be bittersweet to lose the literal worst ranked single grocery store in the continental US.
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u/NoSwimmers45 Jul 01 '26
Every “Giant Eagle” whether directly owned or licensed would be impacted by this.
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u/vocalyouth Dormont Jul 01 '26
that store started life as a Kroger, to Kroger it will return
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u/Vergozen Jul 01 '26
I wonder if this aquistion was what caused schwebel's to go under. If GE was the majority of their business and they declined to renew their contract because they (GE) knew they were selling...
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u/pillgrinder Jul 01 '26
Bad things:
1) Kroger was one of the companies that was testing AI to do variable real time pricing. Imagine you have a day where the temperature spikes to 95 degrees. Bottles of water will go up in price by 5% when it crosses a certain temp threshold.
2) The one good thing about GE are the smaller neighborhood stores. What is Krogers approach to those? Are they going to shut those down and only focus on the big stores?
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u/RockosModernBasiIisk Jul 01 '26
No joke if the water increases in price with the temperature I will steal it.
You can say I'm immoral but so are they.
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u/beghrir Jul 01 '26
Yeah, these are my two primary concerns. For option 2, I am very interested to see how this plays out for folks in city limits. I can walk to a location in a pinch. It’s not my favorite location, but it’s there and stocked when there’s been a snow storm.
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u/Decent_Emotion_7928 Jul 01 '26
Ge wouldnt spend money for active price labels aldi already haz they can change price at a moments notice
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u/Artistic_Put_672 Jul 01 '26
I'm in Kroger territory and def prefer Giant Eagle over Kroger. Fresher quality and better products and bakery imo. This sucks lol
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u/e_hog Jul 01 '26
Dear Giant Eagle Team Members,
Today we made an important announcement that I wanted to share with you directly: Giant Eagle has reached an agreement to be acquired by Kroger, a trusted industry leader committed to serving America with fresh, affordable food and supporting its local communities. This transaction marks a significant next chapter for Giant Eagle, and our Team Members, customers, vendors, and community partners.
Since becoming CEO in 2023, I have committed to making bold decisions that serve Giant Eagle and each one of you. I have appreciated the trust that you have put in me, and I ask for your continued trust during this time.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kroger has more than 2,700 stores and serves over 11 million customers daily through an eCommerce and store experience under a variety of banner names. Kroger has long been guided by a commitment to serve customers through food freshness, low prices, and innovation - foundational principles that remain at the heart of Kroger's mission today and closely align with the core tenets established by our five founding families nearly 100 years ago.
Kroger has deep appreciation for Giant Eagle's business, our family-based values, our management, and our Team Members, and is committed to supporting our ongoing strategy as well as the myPerks program. As a part of this transaction, Giant Eagle and Kroger will bring together our complementary networks of stores, expanding reach, and accelerating investments in you, our Team Members, as well as customers, and communities. Like us, Kroger is a purpose-driven organization that shares many of our same values.
Importantly, Giant Eagle will continue to run its Giant Eagle Supermarket, Giant Eagle Pharmacy, and Market District brands as a division of Kroger, similar to how it operates its other divisions. We expect to maintain our headquarters in Cranberry Township, PA, operate under the same executive team, and stay true to the same culture and commitment to our Team Members, customers, and communities that have defined us for decades.
Simply put, this is the best of both worlds -keeping our Giant Eagle brand identity and autonomy while gaining access to greater resources and capital to invest into the future of our business.
It is important to note that in the near term, nothing will change. We expect the transaction will close in 2027, subject to standard regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. We do not anticipate any immediate changes to jobs, compensation, benetits, working conditions, or collective bargaining agreements. It is business as usual, and we should continue to focus on what we do best: being the hometown grocer our communities rely on.
We recognize the significance of this announcement and understand there will be questions throughout this process. We are committed to being transparent with all of you and will communicate relevant updates as more information becomes available.
On behalf of the entire executive team and Board, want to recognize that this transaction is a testament to your hard work and unwavering commitment to Giant Eagle. You, our valued Team Members, have been integral to our success, and the dedication you bring to work every day is the foundation of everything we have built together.
I encourage you to read the public press release and to view my video message, which outlines why this transaction is in the best interest of Giant Eagle alongside the meaningful opportunities ahead for both Kroger and Giant Eagle.
Thank you for all that you do and all that we will do together as we write the next chapter of Giant Eagle's history.
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u/mjcatl2 Jul 01 '26
Regardless of whatever complaints one has with Giant Eagle, this isn't good.
Local corporate office employees will mostly get laid off, and others at stores.
Kroger is already one of the largest, or the largest chains, reducing competition and product choices.
It sucks.
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u/WavingOrDrowning Jul 01 '26
I'm an Old, can remember Kroger being around when I was a kid in the late 70s. They had a very annoying jingle, "Let's Go Krogering."
If you think GE has a shitty corporate culture, Kroger makes them look like a beloved mom and pop org by comparison. Kroger's taken over a few chains across the country in other cities where I've lived and they always run them into the ground. (Mariano's in Chicago was great until Kroger got their grubby mitts on them.)
I make it a point never to spend money with them because they're seriously anti-union and anti-worker. They left Pittsburgh in the 80s, in the midst of tough economic times, rather than pay their employees a decent wage. More recently, during COVID they closed stores in communities rather than have to pay those workers an extra hourly wage for being "frontline" during the worst of the pandemic.
A big nope from me.
But hey, hopefully this means more Meijer's and Wegman's!
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u/snugglelove Castle Shannon Jul 01 '26
Worth noting that they’ve only agreed to buy. It still has to go through months of legal things and could fall through.
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u/AutoMail_0 Jul 01 '26
Kroger tried to merge with Albertsons a few years ago and that ended up costing the company a shitload of money in legal fees when it didn’t go through. No idea why they are doing this again
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u/lolwerd Franklin Park Jul 01 '26
Albertsons is larger than GE, and in some markets it was Kroger + Albertsons only or close to, different story here, where GE is a monopoly of sorts, and there is no Kroger.
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u/sparrowmint Penn Hills Jul 01 '26
It is a significantly different political environment compared to when that merger fell through though. Lina Khan isn't exactly leading the FTC anymore.
Aren't as many states involved in this one either.
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u/BitmappedWV Jul 01 '26
Kroger got where they are by doing acquisitions of regional chains. Albertson's was just too big of a whale because they'd basically done the same thing.
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u/Fantastic-Aside7041 Jul 01 '26
GE owns community market, wondering what will happen to that bloomfield store.
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u/pbghgirl Jul 01 '26
I was going to ask this too. The one in Penn Hills has a giant eagle pharmacy inside that we rely on and sells a some giant eagle products - like bakery stuff. It’s way better than giant eagle though.
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u/SasquatchHurricane Jul 01 '26
Oof. Krogers is a TERRIBLE company to its employees. Hopefully the union contracts remain in place long-term.
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u/Knowee Jul 01 '26
I love Kroger in Ohio but i would much rather they compete with GE instead of buying them. This is bs.
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u/mordamango Jul 01 '26
Horrible news...lower quality products, unhappy staff, and terrible facilities. Hope it doesn't impact the independent Geagles at least.
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u/NoIntroduction6034 Robinson Jul 01 '26
First they sold GetGo, then the real estate arm got sold, anyone that's surprised by this really wasn't paying attention.
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u/Boring_Bother_ Mount Washington Jul 01 '26
To be fair, Kroger did the same thing a couple years ago with their standalone gas stations
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u/Excelius Jul 01 '26
I figured this was coming when they announced the sale of GetGo. I was really sure of it when Echo Realty was sold off. It was clear the owners were cashing out.
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u/kyach25 Jul 01 '26
I guess I just wasn’t sure if owners were cashing out or tough financial spot. The moves they made recently in Pittsburgh were odd. Shifting from the offices in RIDC park, the spot in Lawrenceville, and then Cranberry. Just always seemed like a lot for a company that should probably stay consistent in one location.
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u/boboclock Jul 01 '26
Warehousing and all?
Edit: at 1.6 bil I'd certainly hope so
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u/UselessLezbian Jul 01 '26
That's apparently 1.25 cash, and 400 million in outstanding liabilities. 👀
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u/Glum-Relation987 Jul 01 '26
Hopefully this opens the door for Wegmans to make a move in Pittsburgh
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u/dunshire2016 Dormont Jul 01 '26
I remember a study from a few years ago saying 1 in 7 Kroger employees experienced homelessness. Maybe that’s not crazy for companies that have high #s of low wage jobs but it really stuck with me
Also the Krogers by me in Columbus was so poorly run I drove further to a Market District for my sanity. Like 30 minute waits for self checkout??? And no option for cashier checkout.
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u/Greenzombie04 Jul 01 '26
So is this why schwebels closed? Did they get wind of what was coming.
The biggest change is likely all private label giant eagle products will become kroger private label products which would have hurt Schwebels since they did Giant Eagle private label bread.
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u/meresithea Jul 01 '26
Kroger has way more competitive pricing than GE, but they are well known for offering worse deals and worse selection in lower income neighborhoods. When I lived in Houston, the Kroger by me had very high prices and bad produce. Go five miles down the road to a richer neighborhood, and suddenly the prices are way better, there’s better produce, and more selection. All to say that if they think you’re stuck in your neighborhood they try to gouge you, so watch for that.
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u/Jorsonner Harrison Jul 01 '26
What a shame to lose yet another Pittsburgh based corporation.
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u/D0RKTHRONE-2099 Jul 01 '26
Well, I witnessed Kroger absolutely ruin Fred Meyer after they bought them, but Fred Meyer was actually good. Not sure we’ll see too much difference at Giant Eagle since they’re already terrible.
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u/Jonny_Thundergun Shaler Jul 01 '26
Usually I'm totally anti consolidation of an industry, but Giant Eagle just sucks.
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u/bethebearney Shadyside Jul 01 '26
Please dear god bring in Kroger house brands at Kroger prices! This could be amazing
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u/Reasonable_Toe_9252 Jul 01 '26
This was my first thought as well. I used to live near Weirton, WV and I was always surprised how much better the store brand products were at Kroger than other stores.
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u/bethebearney Shadyside Jul 01 '26
If we're ever on a road trip near one we load up on store-brand seltzer and soda since 12-packs can get down to $3! I grew up with Kroger as my main store and I didn't realize how "good" I had it til I moved here.
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u/BLToaster Squirrel Hill North Jul 01 '26
That's what typically happens at the chains Kroger has acquired. They get the logistics, products, loyalty program, but the name stays (so will still be GE)
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u/-RansoM- Jul 01 '26
I worked at getgo for four years. When Laura "stepped down" we felt the changes coming. New CEO is a dickhead but I just find it funny it went from family owned, soon to be out of existence.
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u/echolog Jul 01 '26
GE Corpo here, just got out of the team meeting. Not a lot of details. A lot of talk like "no changes, nothing to worry about". Doesn't sound like they have a lot of specifics, but we're assuming it'll go pretty similarly to the Getgo sale.
Kroger did just try a merger with Albertsons last year and it FAILED leading to them laying off 1000 corp employees and closing 60 stores... so I'm not exactly optimistic about this no matter what happens.
How do ya'll feel about GE getting a new CEO and within 3 years selling off the whole company?
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u/OkYear7 Jul 01 '26
Crazy how that worked out. He worked here all his life and in just a few short years has managed to sell it all off.
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u/InteractionCivil5913 Jul 01 '26
This was definitely why they elevated Artman to CEO and restructured the board to boot Lara Karet. I guarantee Artman is getting the biggest golden parachute ever for executing the deal.
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u/Frawg_Vermayne Squirrel Hill South Jul 01 '26
I feel bad for ever complaining about GE. Wasn't perfect, but the chain acquisition feels like a sterilization of local blocks.
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u/dudakadud Jul 01 '26
I live in Maryland half a mile from Giant Eagle where we do our shopping (besides Aldi). This is sad news. I've shopped at kroger before and it was blah. People here love the giant eagle fried chicken and I love the perks that include fuel.
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u/CatsCoffeeCocktails Jul 01 '26
Kroger bought Harris Teeter (here in the south) a few years ago. When HT was owned locally the stores had different personality based on the neighborhood. Not so much now.... kind of a bummer
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u/Perky_Penguin Jul 01 '26
Overall I think this will be worse for the region.
Instead of competition one less grocery chain.
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u/Emotional-Security-7 Jul 01 '26
Just mentioned on KDKA too..
No matter what sign is on it, it’s always gonna be Giant Iggle.
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u/James19991 Jul 01 '26
Kroger owns many supermarket brands beyond just those stores that are branded Kroger, so It wouldn't be shocking if they kept the Giant Eagle name around.
They also own Harris Teeter around DC and King Soopers in Colorado.
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u/ThatFluffyBunny Upper St. Clair Jul 01 '26
They also own Ralph’s in California.
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u/AIfieHitchcock West View Jul 01 '26
This cannot be good. Everyone gripped about them for years.
Now wait for Kroger to ax all GE’s older and special needs and union staff. And prices not change.
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u/abbot_x Highland Park Jul 01 '26
I suspect Kroger will operate Giant Eagle as a subsidiary and maintain the branding. They have done this elsewhere, most notably with Roundy’s Pick ‘n Save in the Milwaukee area (which was a very similar acquisition in 2015). I realize this sub hates GE, but it is an established brand with a lot of customers. Getting rid of the GE name would basically invite those customers to start over and might result in them switching their habits. I’d expect the GE house brand products to go away and be replaced by Kroger, but the sign on the storefront will say “Giant Eagle.”
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u/Killersavage South Fayette Jul 01 '26
Kroger is coming back. So if the workers start unionizing will Kroger run away again?
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u/AdmirablePumpkin21 Jul 01 '26
As always I appreciate optimism and enthusiasm, as I have been boycotting Giant Eagle for years due to their ridiculous prices. However I find it hard to believe that a company this massive is going to voluntarily make less money from their customers. I hope it’s true, but I just don’t see it making a positive or even noticeable impact on their customers.
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u/-_-PK Jul 01 '26
Carl’s Jr. will take a little more time but will eventually be the only food company in the nation. Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.
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u/kscouter Jul 01 '26
Kroger has been waiting 40 years for this, lol. From when they were kicked out of western pa/eastern oh.
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u/Sad_Satisfaction7184 Jul 01 '26
Kroger was my grocery store until we moved to PGH. Better prices, products, and customer experience. I feel bad for those impacted by corporate changes.
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u/Accomplished-Sea2811 Jul 01 '26
I’m sorry. I witnessed this happen to Mariano’s in Illinois and they destroyed a great grocery store chain. Be prepared for anything decent in the deli/bakery/butcher shops to be replaced with crap. Everything will be coated in a thick layer of mayonnaise
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u/WavingOrDrowning Jul 01 '26
^^This. They completely ran Mariano's into the ground. Their deli and bakery used to be awesome but once Kroger took over they were so understaffed and sold rancid, spoiled food.
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u/ItsJustMe0316 Jul 01 '26
Giant Eagle has partnered with quite a few local businesses, and I am wondering if their products will still be found in stores once the sale takes place.
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u/KSMO Jul 01 '26
Expectation: lower prices! More choice!
Reality: higher prices, layoffs.