PHILADELPHIA—A host of city and state dignitaries were on hand yesterday when GIANT Food Stores announced plans to develop a new two-level flagship Philadelphia store in Center City.
The 65,000-square-foot store will be located in the first of two towers under development at 60 North 23rd St. by PMC Property Group of Philadelphia. Metro Commercial represented GIANT in the deal. The store is expected to open by the fall of 2020 and create more than 200 new jobs for the city.
GIANT Food Stores president Nicholas Bertram was joined by Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and PMC Property Group president Ron Caplan formally at a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new Riverwalk development project.
“Like the city of Philadelphia, GIANT continues to grow and innovate – becoming part of this new incredible Riverwalk project helps cement our commitment to Philadelphia,” said Bertram of GIANT Food Stores. “We’ve always been dedicated to bringing quality groceries to the people of our home state of Pennsylvania, but this new Philadelphia store—as well as our new GIANT Heirloom Markets throughout the city—represent the future of GIANT: fresh solutions for the way families live now.”
Located in the Logan Square neighborhood within walking distance to Center City, the new GIANT will be housed in Riverwalk’s Tower 1. High open ceilings will welcome customers into the first-floor glass lobby. Natural light and city views will enhance the shopping experience while an outdoor terrace will give customers a picturesque place to enjoy a glass of wine or beer and food. A dedicated onsite parking garage will be available exclusively to GIANT customers, company officials stated.
“GIANT has become an integral part of the Philadelphia region, both as a business serving our communities and as a tremendous partner to our area’s nonprofits. Not only has GIANT done a great deal to improve the health and wellbeing of Philadelphians over the years, its recent growth has also brought hundreds of high-quality jobs to our neighborhoods. The announcement of GIANT’S new flagship store is an exciting development for the city,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
More than 600 varieties of fresh produce with local product being spotlighted will be available at the new store. Inspired by GIANT Heirloom Market, the store will also feature community vendor partnerships with passionate Philadelphia-area food purveyors tempting and captivating shoppers. The store will boast the largest plant-based department in the company.
“The features planned for the new Riverwalk GIANT speak directly to the needs and desires of our city demographic. We’re thrilled to offer our future residents and customers such an incredible and innovative amenity,” noted Ron Caplan, president of PMC Property Group.
Plans for the Riverwalk store highlight Philadelphia’s central role in the company’s recent growth strategy and is in addition to a $70 million investment GIANT announced in April 2018 to grow its store network across the Commonwealth by constructing six new stores, remodeling two locations and opening four new fuel stations through the end of this year. GIANT will soon open a new store in East Stroudsburg and has plans to open two more GIANT Heirloom Markets in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Northern Liberties and Queen’s Village.
GIANT has 158 stores in the state of Pennsylvania and employs nearly 29,000 associates in the state. The Carlisle, PA-based retailer has a total of 181 stores, 132 pharmacies, 102 fuel stations and more than 106 online pickup hubs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The firm employs more than 32,000 associates.
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