The Giant Co. has launched its new brand platform, For Today’s Table. Building on the new company name, logo and purpose launched earlier this year, For Today’s Table sets the course for the company’s continued growth, innovation and investment for today and into the future.
For Today’s Table represents the notion that the world is a better place when families come together at their table and connect over a meal, no matter where their table may be.
“For Today’s Table is grounded in our strong belief that gathering around the table for a meal with your family to make meaningful connections is now more important than ever,” said Nicholas Bertram, president of The Giant Co. “For almost 100 years, we have been entrusted to help families connect over food, at their table, no matter where or what the ‘table’ may be. It sets the stage for our go-forward strategy, crystalizing our commitment to customers, team members and the community, inspiring us to double down on future growth and investment.”
For Today’s Table
For Today’s Table will guide the company as it focuses on families and their need to connect around food – whether it’s planned ahead of time or a quick decision made after a long day of curveballs.
“For Today’s Table, the pinnacle in our evolution of The Giant Co.’s refreshed brand, is an external expression of what our brand is doing and what families can expect from us in the future,” said Matt Simon, chief marketing officer for The Giant Co. “While the wheels were in motion for our new brand platform pre-pandemic, the last several months has only reinforced the value of family connections, and we believe food has a role to play in forging those connections and in making our communities stronger. The table, no matter where it may be, is the most obvious and best way for families to connect.”
Over the next several months, core elements of For Today’s Table will be brought to life for customers and team members through a multitude of channels including mass media, digital and social channels, modernized store décor, refreshed team member work wear and an update of all delivery and transport vehicles with family-focused graphics.
Over the past several weeks, The Giant Co. has been filming five real families for a TV spot to capture honest and heartfelt family moments to redefine what gathering at the table really means.
“This latest campaign brings For Today’s Table to life in an authentic way, showing what families go through and the real solutions The Giant Co. can offer,” Simon said.
Innovation and inspiration for families
To give families more time to connect around the table, The Giant Co. is working to simplify the shopping experience. In the coming months, the company will be introducing convenient meal solutions, products, technologies and services to make it easier for families to gather together.
The Giant Co. will expand product assortment in key categories to better meet the needs and wants of its customers. It also will begin to test new in-store innovations like smoothie bars and kombucha taps and debuting at its flagship store in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, this fall, made-to-order salads, wraps, soups and grain bowls through a new partnership with Saladworks.
This month, the company introduced its new cook-in-bag line and is also currently rolling out a new item in its Nature’s Promise Kids line, Crustless Sandwiches. Available in grape and strawberry jelly, the sandwiches meet a need of customers by being dairy, peanut and tree nut free.
The Giant Co. was ready for the recent acceleration of online adoption, having made the necessary investments in a consumer-friendly user experience. These innovations included the recent redesign of its mobile app and website to easily serve families 24/7 throughout the pandemic. While shopping, the new site provides personalized recommendations, savings and the ability to view the weekly circular. Customers can also use the new mobile app to fill their cart, access personalized savings and manage their Choice Rewards from their phone, combining value with accessibility.
On the horizon, The Giant Co. remains focused on enhancing the online grocery experience by piloting geolocation technology that sends notifications to team members when customers have arrived at the store to pick up their grocery order, eliminating the need for customers to call the store upon arrival.
Strategic omni-channel growth
The company is busy completing the previously announced growth projects and store makeovers designed for today’s busy families.
In its home market of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the company says it will celebrate the opening of its new Swatara Township Giant store on Friday, Oct. 23.
The company remains on track to complete the 35 store remodels that are either now underway or will begin in the coming months across the brand.
In addition, the company will reveal plans for additional stores across Pennsylvania later this year, expanding its presence in key markets while also investing in its e-commerce business. The Giant Co. will expand its online grocery delivery and pick-up services by bringing Giant Direct and Martin’s Direct to 10 additional stores in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, bringing the service to a total of 158 stores across the company by the end of the year.
Caring for team members
The Giant Co. is committed to investing in its 35,000 team members by offering best-in-class benefits and policies that enhance health and well-being, support flexibility and career advancement.
This fall, the company will introduce a new state-of-the-art learning lab to support professional growth opportunities across the company. Named Giant University, participants will be able to grow their careers through enhanced skills training focused on the future of retail while developing leadership behaviors that will help bring the company’s purpose to life for team members, customers and communities. The program complements its existing tuition reimbursement and degree programs with Capella University and Strayer University.
In addition, the company has introduced Stress Free Now, Cleveland Clinic’s clinically proven, six-week online course to help manage stress and increase positive emotions and energy. Available to team members at no charge, it teaches relaxation techniques to manage one’s reaction to stress.
The addition of Giant University and Stress Free Now complements the competitive benefits and wages offered to team members.
“The most important connections we have are those with our team members. They are the core of The Giant Co. and at the heart of the customer experience,” Bertram said. “Our focus is on helping them discover their own unique path to success by growing through new opportunities and making a difference.”
As part of the brand relaunch, the company will introduce new work wear for store team members as well as name badges inspired by the For Today’s Table branding. The new work look, versioned for the company’s Giant and Martin’s brands, will consist of red T-shirts that highlight the brand’s passion for bringing fresh food to the table, and the new name badges also will recognize team members who speak other languages or have served in the military. All stores are also in the process of refreshing their breakrooms to promote camaraderie among the store teams.
Making a difference in communities
Realizing that changing the world for the better begins at home, within the communities across its four-state footprint, The Giant Co. is concentrating its philanthropic efforts on three areas of focus: Changing Children’s Lives, Eliminating Hunger and Healing Our Planet. The company will continue to direct millions annually in support of nonprofits dedicated to these causes.
The company recently launched a paid volunteerism program, encouraging team members to take an active role in their communities to support the causes that matter most to them. In addition, The Giant Co. is looking to achieve more than 30,000 volunteer hours in 2020.
In recognition of and to raise awareness of Hunger Action Month, on Sept. 1, the company will launch a multi-faceted campaign to help families fighting hunger. It expects to donate 12 million meals to Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger relief organization.
As part of its longstanding commitment to be a steward of the environment and sustainable retailer, The Giant Co. has its sights on:
- Planting one million pollinator plants in 2020 and 100,000 trees by 2021.
- Reducing plastics in its private brand packaging by 25 percent, reaching 25 percent post-consumer recycled materials in plastics in packaging and 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.
- Reaching Zero Waste at all stores by 2025 through waste reduction and food donation efforts.
The Giant Co. also will continue its work with key partners such as regional food banks, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Planet Bee Foundation, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Philadelphia Phillies on new initiatives to drive further awareness and engagement among customers, team members and communities.
“If families are strong, our communities are strong, and if our communities are strong, our world is strong. We believe that it all starts with those meaningful connections around today’s table, and that starts with us. Today, tomorrow and always, The Giant Co. continues to be inspired to grow inclusively, improving the lives of our neighbors and team members,” Bertram said.
