Omni Talk’s Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton sat down with Justin Weinstein, EVP and Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Giant Eagle, at Groceryshop 2025 in the VusionGroup’s booth. Justin revealed the regional grocer’s new brand positioning—”Because It Matters”—backed by a substantial $100 million investment aimed at strengthening their value proposition across pricing, quality, service, and store modernization.
Seven Years of Commercial Integration at a 95-Year-Old Family Business
Justin brings over seven and a half years of experience at Giant Eagle, following his time at 84.51 and Kroger. His career at the Pittsburgh-based grocer has spanned diverse roles including digital, loyalty, personalization, and customer experience. Today, he oversees the integration of all commercial businesses—merchandising and buying, marketing, retail media, and e-commerce—focusing on creating connected customer experiences.
Giant Eagle operates as a regional food and drug retailer with stores across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, and Maryland. As a 95-year-old family-owned business, they’re experiencing growth in both the supermarket and pharmacy spaces while maintaining their regional roots and community focus.
🔑 “Because It Matters”: A $100 Million Commitment
Three Strategic Investment Pillars
Giant Eagle recently unveiled their new brand positioning after weeks of development work. “Because It Matters” represents more than a tagline—it’s a fundamental statement about why what they do as a grocer matters within their communities and markets. The positioning is supported by a $100 million investment split across three key areas:
1. Everyday Value
With consumers intensely focused on price, Giant Eagle recognizes that shoppers need confidence every time they visit the grocery store—knowing what they’ll get in terms of price, quality, and service. Significant value investments launched last week with more rolling out throughout the holiday season, positioning Giant Eagle as a reliable partner during financially conscious times.
2. Quality and Service
This pillar leans into life’s meaningful moments—graduations, Thanksgiving, holidays, sixteenth birthday parties—ensuring Giant Eagle delivers products customers remember. The strategy includes a major emphasis on fresh products, which forms the core of their value proposition.
Equally important is team investment. Giant Eagle is enhancing training for butchers, bakers, cake decorators, and cheesemongers, equipping team members to serve customers seeking products that matter for their families’ important occasions.
3. Modern and Bright Stores
The third investment area focuses on reinvesting in the physical plant of their buildings, creating excellent environments for both team members and customers. This physical modernization complements the value and service enhancements.
Adapting to Health-Driven Consumer Shifts
Beyond pricing pressures, Giant Eagle is responding to another major consumer trend: health. Justin confirmed that GLP-1 medications are significantly impacting their customer base and merchandise strategy. This health focus is driving both Giant Eagle’s own brand strategy and their national brand partnerships toward protein-heavy assortments.
The team is rethinking store assortments and space allocation to stock products customers increasingly demand. With substantial CPG innovation happening around health and protein, Giant Eagle’s role is bringing these requested products into stores to meet evolving customer needs.
LEAP: Customer-Back Retail Media
Giant Eagle’s retail media network, LEAP (Loyalty, Experiences, Audiences, and Partnerships), reflects a customer-centric approach to the space. Rather than pursuing monetization first, LEAP operates on a “customer-back” philosophy.
Justin emphasized that retail media should leverage the trust customers place in Giant Eagle—centered on the data customers share and the value they receive in return. The network’s purpose is delivering more relevant experiences and greater value to consumers through partnerships with CPG brands and others. This experience-focused approach aligns with broader industry trends toward measurable, meaningful customer interactions beyond traditional digital metrics.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Justin’s enthusiasm for the coming year centers on bringing together Giant Eagle’s best capabilities under the “Because It Matters” positioning and living it daily. Whether customers shop in physical stores or place e-commerce orders, whether team members have been with the company for one year or forty, the focus remains on being present for them.
The strategy includes creating listening mechanisms to stay aligned with customer needs. Key focus areas for 2026 include:
- Continued pricing investments to address consumer financial concerns
- Store reinvestment and modernization
- Health-focused offerings and partnerships
- Pulling everything together to retain existing customers and invite new ones
The Bottom Line
Giant Eagle is making a substantial bet that investing in fundamental grocery retail excellence—value, quality, service, and environment—will resonate with regional customers seeking grocers that understand what matters in their lives. By backing their “Because It Matters” positioning with $100 million and adapting to major trends like GLP-1 medications, this 95-year-old family business is positioning itself for continued relevance in an increasingly competitive market.
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Be careful out there,
– Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.