GIANT Food Stores today announced a $22 millioninvestment in Lancaster County, which includes launching a new e-commerce hub at its former North Reservoir St. location, remodel completions at four stores, lower prices across its stores, and the opening of a new Lititz fuel station. GIANT's new e-commerce hub concept will drive the development of the 235 North Reservoir St., Lancaster property and will bring approximately 150 new jobs to the community.

"We look at this e-commerce hub as an investment not just in property, but in the people of Lancasterwho have waited too long to hear news from us about our future plans," said Nicholas Bertram, GIANT president. "We have been listening closely to the community, and we would like to sincerely thank Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace for her counsel during the past several months as we developed these plans for more economic opportunity and growth within the city."

"This is a huge step forward for the Northeast neighborhood and the City as a whole," said Mayor Danene Sorace, Lancaster City. "I'm excited about the investment GIANT is making in Lancaster, and extremely happy that it will be bringing 150 jobs back to city residents. Throughout this process, the new GIANT team's sincerity and integrity has gone so far in rebuilding good will and trust."

The new e-commerce hub will serve as a grocery delivery center and will be designed with a unique format that offers curbside pickup orders, where online orders are delivered right to customers' cars parked outside of the hub. The format will also feature a walkable pickup point to meet the growing local demand for online grocery. The innovative e-commerce hub will encompass 38,000 square feet, enabling GIANT and its online grocery partner Peapod to serve up to 40 percent more shoppers.

"We're seeing double digit growth in online ordering and grocery delivery," continued Bertram. "We are rededicating ourselves to the Lancaster market, and we want this cutting-edge facility to be unique – something the Northeast neighborhood will be proud of while we meet this demand. We're excited because the e-commerce hub will allow us to increase capacity quickly." This will be the fifth such facility GIANT has opened in Pennsylvania with Peapod.

"Grocery shopping is changing and the pace is accelerating; as a customer-centric company, innovation is the cornerstone of our go-to business strategy," added Bertram. "Our e-commerce hub will drive growth while helping our customers to shop how they want, when they want, and most importantly, where they want."

New store features for customers

The first phase of GIANT'S investment is now complete and included extensive remodels at the following four locations:

• 1605 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA
• 1360 Columbia Ave., Lancaster, PA
• 550 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA
• 1008 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA

GIANT'S remodeled stores include new features that make shopping and saving easier, and reflect the grocer's focus on fresh, quality products sold at affordable prices, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop.

• GIANT expanded its product selection in stores by adding an abundant selection of fresh produce, meat, and seafood, including a new service meat and seafood destination case. The new service counter and display case features a generous selection of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, veal, shrimp, fish, and other specialty items – all staffed by expert associates who can answer fresh meat and seafood questions plus give cooking recommendations.

• In the Columbia Avenue store and in the Lititz location, customers will find an expanded deli department with delicious, new hot foods and cheese offerings for busy families. The grocer now has a wider variety of grab-and-go items and pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses, which are sliced fresh daily and available for customers to pick up without waiting in line. Easy and affordable hot meals with sides for families are available seven days a week.

• In the 1605 Lititz Pike location, numerous enhancements were made to the shopping experience, including a new, expansive cheese shop, a Chef Prepared case with ready to eat meal solutions, an Asian hot bar, and with juicing all the rage, customers will now find a produce juicing station as they enter the store.

• There is also a new look in the health and beauty care departments of all four stores with an expanded variety of items, all easier to find due to newly installed LED lighting.

Committed to bringing more value to Lancaster customers

GIANT has made savings easier for Lancaster customers with lower prices, especially on GIANT brand products. GIANT reduced prices on thousands of products in produce, meat, deli, grocery, dairy, frozen food, and health and beauty care that customers routinely purchase. Customers will find savings up to 35% on staple items such as GIANT brand pasta, ground beef, shredded cheese, waffles, canned beans, family cereals, aluminum foil, sandwich bags, organic yogurt and more in addition to select national brand products too.

For example, GIANT brand aluminum foil went from $3.69 to $2.59 every day, GIANT waffles, which were $1.99 are now $1.29, and GIANT half & half, 16 oz., dropped from $1.39 to $1.19. National brand items receiving a price reduction include Stoneyfield Farm organic yogurt, 32 oz., which was $4.29 is now $3.79 and Klondike ice cream bars dropping from $3.99 to $2.89.

"We're committed to bringing more value every day to our Lancaster customers so we zeroed in our most popular products that families purchase every week," continued Bertram. "We also encourage our customers to download the GIANT app which provides additional personalized savings and coupons."

Savings at the pump with new fuel station

GIANT also announced it has broken ground on its new off-site fuel facility in Lititz PA, close to the GIANT at 1008 Lititz Pike. The facility is on track to open in August 2018, giving Lancaster Countycustomers another location to save at the pump with GIANT'S exclusive Gas Extra Rewards program.

Rewards earned in one month must be redeemed by the end of the following month; for example, any points earned in June need to be redeemed by July 31. Reward points are tracked at the bottom of the GIANT receipt.

In addition, to reduce its carbon footprint, GIANT recently launched a partnership with GreenPrint on an innovative reduced emissions program at all its fuel stations. When GIANT customers fill-up, GreenPrint neutralizes their emissions up to 30% by investing in certified carbon offset projects such as creating local greenscapes or tree plantings.

Other Lancaster County fuel stations include 300 Centerville Rd., Lancaster, 850 East Main St., Ephrata, 789 East Main St., Mount Joy and 1278 S. Market St., Elizabethtown.

"As GIANT celebrates our 95th anniversary this year, we invite the Lancaster community to come out and experience the fresh, new changes we've made," concluded Bertram.

GIANT operates eight stores in Lancaster County, employing approximately 1,300 associates.

This latest investment in Lancaster is in addition to a $70 million investment GIANT announced earlier this year to grow its store network across Pennsylvania by constructing six new stores, remodeling two locations and opening four new fuel stations over the next two years. As part of this growth strategy, GIANT plans to enter the East Stroudsburg and Walnutport communities for the first time.

About GIANT Food Stores, LLC

GIANT Food Stores, LLC has more than 170 neighborhood stores and offers home delivery, online/mobile ordering, fuel centers, pharmacies, plus in-store nutritionists. Serving families in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, GIANT Food Stores is proud to employ nearly 30,000 associates who believe in giving back to their community. Founded in 1923 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, GIANT Food Stores is a company of Ahold Delhaize. For more information visit the GIANTor MARTIN'S websites.