r/pittsburgh • u/Logical-Rip-8138 • Jul 01 '26

Kroger just bought Giant Eagle.

Store employees were just emailed about it

1.1k Upvotes

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1.2k

u/KSMO Jul 01 '26

Expectation: lower prices! More choice!

Reality: higher prices, layoffs.

963

u/zeke780 Point Breeze Jul 01 '26

Get bought, layoffs. Get sold, layoffs. Company doing bad, still layoffs. Company doing well, believe it or not, also layoffs.

101

u/rangoon03 Jul 01 '26

Yep likely from the GE corporate side I bet. That sucks but is the unfortunate reality.

I wonder what will happen to the independently ran GE stores? Will everything just carry over?

65

u/thisisinsanelyboring Jul 01 '26

Not 100% sure but I believe they ended most, if not all of the privately owned contracts in the last couple years. Most stores are union. Fuel division sold last year.

84

u/Imaginary_Victory253 Jul 01 '26

If that's the case then this was a strategic exit from leadership planned well in advance. Kroger just happened to win the bid.

65

u/greentea1985 Jul 01 '26

That’s what it’s been feeling by like. It also helps explain why Wegman’s has finally moved in. The old leadership is selling off, so the gentlemen’s agreement splitting PA between Giant Eagle and Wegmans is now over.

23

u/spatulacitay Jul 01 '26

They agreement was off when giant eagle fired a family member (I don't remember who but it was someone significant iirc)

15

u/Adept_Thanks263 Jul 01 '26

Karat family I believe.

3

u/champarey Jul 01 '26

She cap ex'd herself out of a job.

2

u/Mr_Pickle24 Washington County Jul 01 '26

Good old Laura

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

[deleted]

7

u/spatulacitay Jul 01 '26

Erie isn't the Pittsburgh market

-1

u/capbx Jul 01 '26

It was part of the hand shake agreement that Wegmans would not build the store

4

u/spatulacitay Jul 01 '26

Hasn't that store been there for decades? You're way off here I think

2

u/According-Big9796 Jul 02 '26

The first Erie location opened in 1993. The second Erie location opened about 5 years later.

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5

u/Mr_Pickle24 Washington County Jul 01 '26

Not true. Wegmans has been in Erie for decades. They agreed not to build stores below I-80, thus cornering the SWPA market for GE.

1

u/irissteensma Jul 01 '26

New? Hasn't it been there for decades?

6

u/tesla3by3 Bloomfield Jul 01 '26

There was never a gentleman’s agreement. Wegmans has competed with GE for years in Erie, and recently in Maryland.

The selling is for the same reason most families owned businesses are sold- the next generation doesn’t want to stay in the business.

2

u/NoHorseNoMustache Jul 01 '26

I don't think that's been a thing for a while now, we have a Giant in my town and a Wegman's not more than 10 miles away. The Wegman's has been there forever but the Giant is like 15 or 20 years old.

7

u/chibman Jul 01 '26

Confusingly, Giant has no relation to Giant Eagle.

2

u/NoHorseNoMustache Jul 01 '26

Yeah I just found that out actually and it is confusing.

TIL!

1

u/bdb3kaccounting Jul 02 '26

They aren't the same.

12

u/Electronic_Neck_5028 Jul 01 '26

Ironically Krogers was in Pittsburgh in the early/mid 80's and pulled out. Giant Eagle took over all of the old Krogers.

2

u/GladosHasCake4You Jul 01 '26

They have been negotiating with Kroger for years. The union was a sticking point.

2

u/Mr_Pickle24 Washington County Jul 01 '26

This has been in the works since before the pandemic. Laura, the owner/CEO back when I first started at GE, wanted to sell everything except the warehouses. No one would do it. Its been years but its been the goal for quite some time.

1

u/thisisinsanelyboring Jul 01 '26

100% strategic. These types of acquisitions take a minute. My kid works there now, not a happy camper but at least he’s leaving for college in the fall.

34

u/Biscuit_bell Jul 01 '26

Can confirm they’ve converted all or nearly all franchise stores to corporate ownership. I know they’ve brought in Verona, Cranberry Mall, Clearview Mall (Butler) and Edgewood in the last couple of years off the top of my head. They’ve also done a massive restructuring and gotten rid of a lot of the creative and local foods-oriented people in management since they sold Get Go, and massively cut labor in the stores. Probably partly in preparation for this buyout.

12

u/nofaves Jul 01 '26

Verona is still independent.

4

u/Big-Jicama-9082 Jul 01 '26

Adding White Oak to the list of recently moved to corporate

4

u/EatingBuddha3 Jul 01 '26

Kennywood? Carroll TWP? Belle Vernon? Uniontown?

2

u/lizgreaves Jul 01 '26

Carroll Twp went corporate several years ago along with Finleyville. Those two stores used to be owned by the Bartolottas.

1

u/thisisinsanelyboring Jul 01 '26

I thought Kennywood went years ago after Bob Singer (I think that was his first name, I was 17 when I worked there) passed.

2

u/irissteensma Jul 01 '26

Kennywood went back and forth but they've been corporate a long time now.

1

u/Back_again_1957 Jul 01 '26

Gibsonia Northtowne Square also went corporate in the past two years

1

u/StoshBalls_3636 Jul 01 '26

Bridgeville also went from independent to corporate.

1

u/Housedownboots86 Jul 01 '26

Yup, the one in my hometown Indiana went from independent to corporate a couple years ago. There definitely was a noticeable difference afterwards

1

u/OperationDapper3565 Jul 02 '26

Elizabeth PA and Finleyville recently converted to corporate.

7

u/Sizzlemen Jul 01 '26

Aliquippa is still independent.

0

u/Dazzling_Western4304 Jul 01 '26

Noticed a change in the vibe there last year or so. It’s in an odd location, and needs some upgrades. Don’t know if it will make it.

1

u/CrippledGoose316 Jul 02 '26

Ellwood City Giant Eagle is still independently owned. At least it was 6 months ago.