CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Brand new grocery stores, the first ones of their kind, are planning to open in the Pittsburgh area.
They’re setting up shop in busy Cranberry, which is already booming with several grocery options.
One of them is a Meijer.
“They feel like they’re coming shopping in their neighborhood, and they feel friendly and welcome in a nice, clean environment,” said Ashley Mitchell, Store Director of Boardman Meijer.
The Michigan-based retailer has stores in 6 states, soon to be 7. It’s expanding into Pennsylvania, building its first store in Cranberry. As Channel 11 has reported, Meijer is supposed to be built near the intersection of Rt. 228 and Franklin Road.
Channel 11 Morning News Anchor Jennifer Tomazic went out to the Meijer store in Austintown, Ohio, to show you what to expect when one opens in Butler County.
Tomazic asked Mitchell how she sees it impacting grocery competition.
“I can’t comment on how we’re going to impact them, but I know what we can bring and what we have to offer: it’s a fresh new shopping experience,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell says the store in Austintown is one of their newer models, and she says the one in Cranberry could look like this one.
She touted wider aisles, Meijer brand products, and things beyond groceries, like clothes, pet supplies, and a pharmacy, all in one place.
But the big question Tomazic had for everyone at Meijer is how the prices compare to other grocery prices.
“We try to stay very competitive with our pricing,” said Mitchell. “We always want to make sure we show value.”
Channel 11 asked our consumer expert, Clark Howard, what two new stores will do for grocery prices in the Pittsburgh area?
“It’s fantastic for everyone to have new competitors coming into the market. Everybody has to respond. Either with better services, but at first, everybody responds with better prices,” said Howard.
A mile and a half down Rt. 228 is where Wegmans will be built. It’ll be on Cool Spring Drive, right near UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
The company says groundbreaking and construction will happen later this year, and at this point, it doesn’t have an opening timeline.
Wegmans also wouldn’t confirm if the company is eyeing the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon as a second location, only saying it continues to evaluate properties in the Pittsburgh market.
We surveyed shoppers in Cranberry about what grocery shopping is like for their families.
“It can be stressful with the prices going up,” said Kinsey Bowser. “I’m pregnant with twins, so when they come, we’ll be a family of five, and that’ll be a lot.”
“It’s awful. I mean, you go in, and you think you have a set amount in your head like, ‘oh, I’m going to go in and spend $100.’ And I end up with three bags and have $180 on my receipt,” said Nick Bartley.
Tomazic asked Giant Eagle about what this new competition will do for grocery prices. The company sent this statement:
“At Giant Eagle, we are committed to bringing customers an outstanding, high-quality, and value-driven shopping experience every day. Since launching our Because It Matters strategy last fall, we have continued to invest in competitive everyday pricing, strong promotions in our weekly circular, expanding Own Brands portfolio, and our myPerks loyalty program.
Right now, our focus is on ensuring that we have the products and value our customers both need and expect for the big and small celebrations that we look forward to this spring and summer.
We’re proud of Pittsburgh, and we are not surprised that others see what we’ve known for 95 years - that our region is second to none. We will continue to show up for our communities as we work to bring the best version of Giant Eagle to life today, tomorrow, and in the years to come."which
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