COLUMBUS, Ohio – Staying true to the “giant” in its name, Giant Eagle Inc. will not pursue small convenience stores for its GetGo convenience-store and gas-station subsidiary after closing two such “micro” stores in May near Ohio State University in Columbus, reported Columbus Business First.
The GetGo locations, which opened in August 2013, did not have gasolinedispensers like the rest of the stores in the chain.
GetGo took over the campus-area leases four months after Saginaw, Mich.-based 7-Eleven licensee Garb-Ko Inc. shuttered its two campus properties and a third convenience store nearby in April 2013.
“These smaller-format locations cannot accommodate the fresh food, in-store dining, fuel and convenience offerings toward which the GetGo business is continuing to evolve," Giant Eagle spokesperson Dan Donovan said in a statement provided to the newspaper. “Our decision to close these stores was made only after careful consideration, particularly given the impact on our team members and customers.”
The chain offered jobs to the 40 affected workers at other stores, Donovan said, saying that "GetGo remains committed to the Central Ohio market." It has 17 GetGo c-stores and gas stations in the area, said the report.
Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, with approximately $9.6 billion in annual sales, has 232 supermarkets and 195 gas stations and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia and Maryland.
Click here to view the full Columbus Business First report.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.