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Sale of White Oak Giant Eagle is Confirmed
Scozio family selling Oak Park, Penn Twp. supermarkets to corporate
By Tom Leturgey
The Tube City Almanac
May 23, 2024
Posted in: White Oak News
For weeks, residents of White Oak and surrounding communities had heard rumors about the future of their local Giant Eagle supermarket in Oak Park Mall.
When a reporter for Tube City Almanac originally contacted the store, employees declined to comment; however, a few days later, the family that has owned the supermarket since it opened in 1993 released a joint statement along with O’Hara Twp.-based Giant Eagle Inc.
“After more than 50 years in the supermarket industry, the Scozio family has decided to retire and transition the operations of its two Giant Eagle locations at 2001 Lincoln Way Oak Park in White Oak and at 2000 Penny Lane Drive in Penn Twp. to Giant Eagle, Inc.,” the statement said.
The move from independent ownership to corporate ownership was being completed this month.
As recently as 2003, family-owned Scozio Supermarkets Inc. owned as many as nine stores in Western Pennsylvania, operating under the Shop ’n Save, Sparkle and Save-a-Lot brands, according to a story in the Pittsburgh Business Times.
The Oak Park Mall store opened as a Shop ’n Save in 1993 and was converted to a Giant Eagle franchise in May 2006, along with the store in Penn Twp.
In recent years, according to trade publications, Giant Eagle has been moving away from granting franchises to independent operators and toward converting existing franchises to company owned-and-operated stores.
The company’s website lists 10 remaining independently owned Giant Eagles in Pennsylvania, including the Elizabeth Twp. store on McKeesport Road.
“My family and I have greatly enjoyed the many years we spent serving our guests and thank them for their patronage,” Mark Scozio said. “Giant Eagle has agreed to operate our two supermarkets as corporately owned locations, and guests can expect the same high-quality fresh foods, convenience-oriented services and strong everyday value.”
According to Giant Eagle, approximately 200 team members employed by the Scozio family will continue working at the two stores, “ensuring that guests will continue to see the friendly faces they have come to know.”
Giant Eagle was founded in 1918 and is still owned by members of the families that founded the corporation. It currently operates stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Maryland and is ranked number 21 on the list of Top 75 North American Food Retailers by Supermarket News, with estimated annual sales of $11 billion.
As of fall 2023, Giant Eagle operated 496 stores, including 211 supermarkets and 274 GetGo convenience stores, plus some stand-alone pharmacies and car washes.
Tom Leturgey is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh and the editor of KSWA Digest, the online news and features home of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance. His work also appears in The Valley Mirror and other publications.
Originally published May 23, 2024.
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