Carlisle, Pa.-based The Giant Co. has debuted a new GIANT Direct E-commerce Fulfillment Center (EFC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 124,000-square-foot facility will service a greater number of customers in Philadelphia and, for the first time in its history, in southern New Jersey. A ribbon-cutting was held with remarks from GIANT President Nicholas Bertram and Ahold Delhaize USA Supply Chain President Chris Lewis.
“Starting with the introduction of our GIANT Heirloom Market format in 2019 followed by the opening of our Philadelphia flagship Riverwalk GIANT in March and three more new stores across the city still to come this year, The GIANT Company has been laser-focused on how we can best serve Philadelphia families,” said Bertram. “Today is the culmination of more than two years of collaboration between our team, Ahold Delhaize USA Supply Chain, and our partners at Swisslog and AutoStore resulting in a state-of-the-art facility that will propel our GIANT Direct offering across greater Philadelphia and for the first time, southern New Jersey. Our new GIANT Direct EFC represents the future of grocery and the future of The GIANT Company, as we are one step closer to realizing our full omnichannel aspirations.”
As part of GIANT's commitment to optimizing and growing the GIANT Direct division, the retailer has become the first Ahold Delhaize USA banner to implement this new EFC technology, which streamlines order fulfillment by using the latest in robotics, machine learning, and vertical integration. The company worked with Ahold Delhaize USA company Peapod Digital Labs, Swisslog, and AutoStore on the project.
“The opening of this facility is an exciting step forward as we continue to collaborate to evolve the supply chain network for the future,” added Lewis. “Solutions like micro-fulfilment centers will be an important part of the self-distributed network, positioned to serve customers whenever, wherever, however they want to shop.”
Within the GIANT Direct EFC, two space-saving, 3D grids contain totes filled with fresh and non-perishable groceries. When a customer places an order, team members and robots quickly gather the items for bagging, which are then placed into temperature-controlled totes and on to trucks for delivery to customers.
The facility will stock more than 22,000 products, enabling the company to meet increasing customer demand with greater capacity, faster order fulfillment, and room to grow home grocery delivery. The center is expected to fulfill up to approximately 15,000 home delivery orders per week, a press release stated. For the first time, starting November 16, the facility will also provide GIANT Direct delivery to the New Jersey towns of Camden, Cherry Hill, Gibbsboro, Haddonfield, Marlton, Medford, Mount Laurel, and Voorhees. The company plans to introduce GIANT Direct to additional communities in southern New Jersey over the next several months.
With the busy holiday season fast approaching, the company is looking to hire an additional 125 team members at the EFC. The GIANT Company also donated a total of $5,000 to the Eastwick Community Garden for new equipment, a shed, and a beehive; the Eastwick Library for educational programming opportunities; and Fire Station Engine 69 to support fire station staff. In addition, a total of $3,000 was donated to the St. Paul's Food Pantry and Mission House, where The GIANT Company team members volunteered following the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new facility builds on GIANT's strong presence in Philadelphia. In addition to three GIANT Heirloom Markets and its new Philadelphia flagship Riverwalk store, The GIANT Company will open a new store on Cottman Avenue on Friday, November 12 followed by a GIANT on Columbus Boulevard and a GIANT Heirloom Market in the Fashion District by the end of the year.