Meal Solutions Front and Center at New Giant Store in Suburban Baltimore

I had a chance this week to visit one of Giant Food’s newest stores, the first ground-up store built to the Landover, Md.-based banner’s new in-store format and design.

The 67,000-square-foot supermarket opened in Owings Mills, Md., near Baltimore, in August, replacing two existing older stores. It anchors a new, emerging shopping and dining development that includes other small retailers as well as a Costco store.

Upgraded and enhanced features at the new store include expanded hot and prepared food selections, fresh sushi, an extensive organic section, and a full-service pharmacy. Right at the front door, there’s a full-service floral section; a few more steps in, you’ll find expanded cheese, deli, bakery, meat and seafood departments, plus a Starbucks and a PNC Bank branch.

The huge store presented a stark contrast to Ahold Delhaize USA sister division Giant Food Stores’ tiny urban-format Heirloom Market that I visited in downtown Philadelphia earlier this year. But it speaks to the company’s attention to the needs of the neighborhoods in which it operates.

During my visit, I had a chance to talk with Ira Kress, Giant’s interim president, who noted that the banner has been in the community since 1980. Kress told me the neighborhood has embraced the new store, made clear by the interactions I witnessed between associates and customers, old and new alike.

Read more about Giant Owings Mills when it’s Progressive Grocer’s January 2020 Store of the Month. Meanwhile, enjoy this sneak preview in the following image gallery …