Giant Eagle CEO Laura Karet Talks Reinvention in Retail
PITTSBURGH, PA - With fresh and organic-focused chains gaining more popularity than ever in the retail sector, how can traditional grocery chains keep up? The answer according to Giant Eagle CEO, Laura Karet, is reinvention.
“We’re consistently trying to reinvent ourselves. The world is changing fast – the way people shop, the way people eat,” Karet explained in an interview with Columbus Business First. “It’s perfectly clear to me that it’s getting more competitive and that’s only going to continue.”
And reinvent is something that Giant Eagle seems it has been adept at, especially when it comes to fresh. Earlier this year, Giant Eagle announced it was testing “Produce with Personality,” at five Pittsburgh-area locations, selling aesthetically flawed produce at discounted prices.
“We were noticing this more global trend and wanted to play our part,” Dan Donovan, Manager of Corporate Communications, told Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We’re always looking for new ways to deliver value to our customers. If you can participate in the worldwide effort to reduce food waste, that is fantastic as well.”
Giant Eagle has other advantages over other retail counterparts, Karet told the paper. The CEO refers to its reinvention in groceries, increased fresh and prepared foods at its GetGos, FuelPerks gas rewards program, and gift card selection, on top of some of the reinventions in produce.
“Everyone eats,” Karet noted. “We’re in a business that’s appealing because everyone needs it and everyone needs it frequently.”
And Karet and the Giant Eagle team seem to be taking that notion to heart in its newest location. A two-story Market District Express-branded store will be opening in Bexley, Ohio the first of September, featuring two floors of groceries, a full-service restaurant that will cook meals with produce bought in-store, an open-air patio, deli, sushi bar, Starbucks, and butcher.
Will Giant Eagle continue its march towards reinventing itself towards fresh? You can bet if it does, AndNowUKnow will bring you the update.
