11/14/2019

Meal Solutions Front and Center at New Giant Store in Suburban Baltimore

PG Editorial Director Jim Dudlicek (left) with Giant Interim President Ira Kress

I had a chance this week to visit one of Giant Food’s newest stores, the first ground-up store built to the Landover, Md.-based banner’s new in-store format and design.

The 67,000-square-foot supermarket opened in Owings Mills, Md., near Baltimore, in August, replacing two existing older stores. It anchors a new, emerging shopping and dining development that includes other small retailers as well as a Costco store.

Upgraded and enhanced features at the new store include expanded hot and prepared food selections, fresh sushi, an extensive organic section, and a full-service pharmacy. Right at the front door, there’s a full-service floral section; a few more steps in, you’ll find expanded cheese, deli, bakery, meat and seafood departments, plus a Starbucks and a PNC Bank branch.

The huge store presented a stark contrast to Ahold Delhaize USA sister division Giant Food Stores’ tiny urban-format Heirloom Market that I visited in downtown Philadelphia earlier this year. But it speaks to the company’s attention to the needs of the neighborhoods in which it operates.

During my visit, I had a chance to talk with Ira Kress, Giant’s interim president, who noted that the banner has been in the community since 1980. Kress told me the neighborhood has embraced the new store, made clear by the interactions I witnessed between associates and customers, old and new alike.

Read more about Giant Owings Mills when it’s Progressive Grocer’s January 2020 Store of the Month. Meanwhile, enjoy this sneak preview in the following image gallery …

Giant Food, Owings Mills, MD

Fresh produce abounds -- it's what most store visitors see first when they enter

Fresh produce abounds -- it's what most store visitors see first when they enter
Hot bar and salad bar drive meal inspiration

Hot bar and salad bar drive meal inspiration
Convenience is stressed

Convenience is stressed
Kiosks simplify deli ordering

Kiosks simplify deli ordering
Signature items include baked-to-order flatbreads

Signature items include baked-to-order flatbreads
Specialty cheeses do huge business, with strategic cross-merchandising

Specialty cheeses do huge business, with strategic cross-merchandising
Fresh mozz demos offer food theater

Fresh mozz demos offer food theater
Grab & go sandwiches and salads conveniently positioned up front

Grab & go sandwiches and salads conveniently positioned up front
Family values in meat and seafood

Family values in meat and seafood
Filled muffins offer premium choices and upsell for bakery

Filled muffins offer premium choices and upsell for bakery
Plant-based products merchandised in the meat case have brought incremental sales

Plant-based products merchandised in the meat case have brought incremental sales
More ready-to-eat entrees than in most other stores

More ready-to-eat entrees than in most other stores