Kroger Is Buying Giant Eagle for $1.65 Billion. 6 Things Ohioans Should Watch for at Their Store
Giant Eagle says it will keep its name after Kroger buys it, so the sign over your store may not change.
That sounds settled. But a sign is only one thing that could change.
Here are some things Ohioans should watch for at their store as Kroger’s purchase of Giant Eagle moves forward.
1. Your Store on the Sale List
Kroger’s announcement puts the price at $1.65 billion for Giant Eagle’s 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies.
That includes $1.25 billion in cash and about $400 million in assumed liabilities.
Giant Eagle has about $9 billion in annual sales, Kroger’s release says.
Kroger’s purchase comes with a plan to sell a limited number of Giant Eagle stores to win federal clearance. Kroger’s announcement doesn’t name any stores.
Columbus is one place where Kroger and Giant Eagle stores sit close together. In a September analysis, RetailStat found 17 Giant Eagle and Market District stores in the Columbus area within five miles of a Kroger.
One analyst estimated Kroger could sell as few as five Columbus stores or as many as nine, with BJ’s Wholesale Club, Target and Meijer as possible buyers.
If you shop at a Giant Eagle or Market District near a Kroger, that’s the store to watch.
Local reports say Giant Eagle closed stores in Lancaster and Columbus earlier this year.
2. What the Sign Will Say
Giant Eagle says it will keep its name after Kroger buys it. Giant Eagle Supermarket, Giant Eagle Pharmacy and Market District are expected to keep operating as a division of Kroger.
Giant Eagle’s headquarters is expected to stay in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
That’s the plan today.
Ten of the 17 Columbus-area stores near a Kroger are Market District locations, so that’s the name to watch if you shop there.
If your store is one of the stores Kroger sells, the buyer could put a different name on it.
Giant Eagle’s chief executive, Bill Artman, told the Tribune-Review he doesn’t expect the acquisition to affect frontline workers.
Artman said that for corporate-office jobs, Giant Eagle will evaluate the strengths and opportunities between its team and Kroger’s after the deal closes.
Giant Eagle also announced a $100 million effort last year that it says will support new and brighter stores and more everyday value.
3. Your Pharmacy Counter
The deal includes 11 standalone Giant Eagle pharmacies. Giant Eagle has said it would upgrade more than 60 in-store pharmacy departments.
Giant Eagle said last year it would put millions of dollars into remodeling 12 supermarkets.
Artman said the stores will carry on with the same supermarkets and pharmacies.
If you pick up a prescription there, watch whether those upgrades go ahead. A pharmacy in a store Kroger sells could also change hands.
4. Your Card at the Register
Giant Eagle has said Kroger plans to keep its myPerks program.
Kroger plans to combine Giant Eagle’s customer loyalty program with its digital capabilities.
The companies didn’t announce any immediate changes to stores, employees or loyalty programs.
Kroger would also explore ways to expand myPerks’ reach.
When Giant Eagle moved fuelperks+ members into myPerks in 2024, shoppers could keep using their Advantage Card to earn and redeem rewards.
A store that Kroger sells could handle rewards differently. Write down the rewards card you use today, so any change stands out.
What Kroger Points Are Worth Today
Kroger’s Points page lists what the points are worth.
For fuel, every 100 Points takes 10 cents off a gallon, up to $1 a gallon and $35 a fill-up.
For groceries, every 100 Points takes $1 off, up to 1,000 Points, or $10, a day.
Points expire at the end of the month after you earn them.
You can redeem fuel Points at Kroger fuel centers and participating partner stations.
5. Your Gas Rewards
Giant Eagle’s fuelperks+ program has ended.
GetGo isn’t part of this deal. Giant Eagle sold the gas stations to Alimentation Couche-Tard in 2025.
When that sale closed, Giant Eagle said myPerks would keep working across Giant Eagle and GetGo.
At Kroger’s fuel centers, you redeem Kroger Points for the per-gallon discount.
Watch whether Giant Eagle shoppers keep myPerks at the pump or end up on Kroger’s system.
Psst! How much do you know about supermarket history? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
Quiz
Grocery Aisle IQ
Answer nine questions on supermarket history. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
What was the first item scanned with a barcode at a U.S. supermarket checkout, at a Marsh store in Troy, Ohio, in 1974?
6. Store Brands on the Shelf
Kroger's announcement lists Giant Eagle's private label portfolio as part of the deal. Kroger's Our Brands include Kroger Brand, Simple Truth and Private Selection.
Kroger backs Our Brands items with a quality guarantee. If you're not delighted, Kroger says it will make it right with a replacement or refund.
Kroger's release also credits Giant Eagle with a strong reputation for fresh products, pharmacy, private label and customer loyalty.
If you shop at Giant Eagle, watch whether Kroger's brands start showing up beside Giant Eagle's brands.
Where the Review Stands
Kroger expects to close the Giant Eagle purchase in 2027, so your store stays under its current owner until then.
Kroger plans to finance the purchase with cash.
On Oct. 5, Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice to scrutinize the deal.
In her letter, she cited a 2016 grocery merger and said nearly 20% of the divested stores closed.
Kroger can't close the purchase until the federal waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act expires or ends, a condition its July filing lists.
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