Giant Eagle purchases five stores from Tops Markets

PITTSBURGH Giant Eagle has agreed to purchase five former Penn Traffic stores in the western Pennsylvania market.

The stores, which currently are owned by Tops Markets, will immediately begin its planned store inventory liquidation sales in preparation for their eventual closures. At the time of the stores' closings, the properties will be turned over to Giant Eagle. Giant Eagle also has agreed to acquire the pharmacy records for the former Penn Traffic pharmacies in the Brookville, DuBois and Johnstown locations, and plans to operate the existing pharmacies at Brookville and DuBois. The pharmacy files from the Johnstown location are being transferred to a nearby Giant Eagle store.

Further details about the transaction and Giant Eagle's evolving plans will be released as details become available.

"Given our nearly 80-year history as a leading regional food retailer with strong western Pennsylvania roots, we were approached by Tops Markets more than a month ago regarding these locations," said Giant Eagle special counsel Dan Shapira. "Tops informed us that these stores were outside of their geographic footprint, and as such would ultimately be closed and the employees terminated. We believe there is an opportunity to refurbish these stores and bring to consumers of the area an overall improved shopping experience.

"We are thrilled to be able to not only preserve these grocery shopping options for area residents, but to deliver the type of high quality offerings that our customers have come to expect from us," Shapira added.