CLEVELAND, OH - Pickup grocery options have long been explored within the industry, but ever since the COVID-19 shift, they have become imperative to both businesses and consumers. Giant Eagle is the latest grocer to expand its curbside-pickup format to include two stores.

After converting one pilot store in Ohio, Giant Eagle saw the immediate success of the format and began making plans for a second.

“[The Garfield Heights store] is very close to the downtown Cleveland area while also being easily adjacent to other area communities. [That access is imperative] whether it's for customers coming to that store or whether our delivery drivers can go out into those communities,” Dan Donovan, Director of Corporate Communications, explained to local news source Cleveland.com.

Donovan also remarked that this section of Northeast Ohio is a bit of an experiment at the moment, as the grocer continues to trial new approaches to pickup-delivery services.

"Expansion is absolutely possible," Donovan continued. "We're taking all of what we learned here in Northeast Ohio and applying those to other markets—Western Pennsylvania, Columbus."

Donovan did not commit to whether or not this pickup format was a permanent fixture for Giant Eagle, but ANUK will stay on the case.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we continue to cover the latest in grocery.

Giant Eagle