Giant Food employees held a press conference and rally outside Fredericksburg’s Eagle Village Giant on March 23, 2016, to voice concern for their jobs.
Six area Giant Food grocery stores are slated for potential sale as a result of a pending merger between Ahold and Delhaize Group.
“As their proposed merger moves closer to completion, international retail conglomerates Ahold and Delhaize may have to sell off as many as 83 stores that could present an overlap issue for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),” Progressive Grocer reported.
“We’re not going to stand still,” United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 President Mark Federici told the group gathered. He wants whoever owns the stores to ensure the jobs and same level of security workers have had. “We can’t let a corporate merger take away good jobs and quality shopping options here at home.”
Robin Wheeler will have worked for Giant in Fredericksburg 36 years come June. “It’s my life and all that I know,” she said. Her father, daughter and son-in-law also work for Giant. “We just want to keep our jobs and our contract,” she said.
Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw told those gathered she would do all within her power to help. “The city is working with this store … to ensure that a high-quality, full-service store remains here, and that your jobs are preserved,” she told the crowd.
The six area Giant stores slated for sale, according to UFCW Local 400, are:
Giant 234 at 550 Celebrate Virginia Parkway
Giant 235 at 5701 Plank Road
Giant 243 at 317 Worth Avenue
Giant 256 at 10346 Courthouse Road
Giant 770 at 1245 Jefferson Davis Highway
Giant 789 at 35 Town and Country Road
The Ahold and Delhaize Group merger would create an international retailer with more than 6,500 stores and 375,000-plus associates across the United States and Europe, according to Progressive Grocer.
