Giant Eagle Convenience Division

In 2020, Giant Eagle will continue its westward expansion from Pennsylvania with a doubling of its new GetGo Cafe and Market store count and an acceleration of new store builds. The retailer is looking for land with room for the stores' large, foodservice-focused footprint and a car wash, Polly Flinn, executive vice president and general manager of GetGo Cafe and Market, told CSP in late 2019.

Acquisitions are also on the table, with a preference for assets that can provide a food-first experience and a cultural fit, Flinn said.

Giant Eagle has rebranded the exterior of all 56 Indianapolis-area Ricker's sites it acquired in October 2018 to GetGo Cafe and Market; inside the store, the original branding remains, with Ricker's Pop fountain beverages. The aim was to bring an overall brand strategy and "ecosystem" of format and offers to the former Ricker's sites, while acknowledging the power of the Ricker's brand, but this may not be the strategy for all acquisitions.

"It's pretty much brand strategy 101," said Flinn, pointing out that the company would weigh "the equity the [existing] brand has, what role it plays and how much investment it would take, and what value for shareholders it would provide to keep the existing brand or rebrand it."

For benchmarking purposes, store counts are year-end 2019.