The Giant Company (formerly known as Giant Food Stores) is an American regional supermarket chain that operates stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and provides online shopping and delivery to New Jersey through Giant Direct. The chain operates full-scale supermarkets under the Giant and Martin's banners along with small-scale urban stores under the Giant Heirloom Market banner. Giant is a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, which also owns similarly-named Giant Food of Landover, Maryland, often known as Giant-Landover; to distinguish from that chain, whose stores also operate under the Giant banner (albeit with a different logo), The Giant Company is often referred to as Giant-Carlisle or Giant/Martin's. A significant difference between the two chains is that Giant-Landover (of more urban Central Maryland) is unionized while Giant-Carlisle (of South-Central Pennsylvania) is non-union, with the exception of stores in Lewistown and Burnham, Pennsylvania. As of September 2020, the company operated 190 stores, 133 pharmacies, 105 fuel stations and 175 grocery pickup hubs. Sister companies include Food Lion, Stop & Shop, and Hannaford Supermarkets; which are all subsidiaries of Ahold Delhaize and carry many of the same private-label brands and products, such as Nature’s Promise. History Early history The retail company launched in 1923 when David Javitch opened a small meat market in Carlisle, Pennsylvania called Carlisle Meat Market. In 1936, Javitch purchased a store in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, which he named the Giant Shopping Food Center. It was a major change from the original Carlisle Meat Market in that it was a total grocery store. The new store offered dry goods and perishables under one roof; a new concept at that time. The store was a success, and soon a decision was made to expand the original Carlisle store from a basic meat market into a full-fledged grocery store. The business also experienced a number of setbacks. Prior to purchasing the Lewistown store, Javitch purchased a store in Hagerstown, Maryland, that opened and closed within the same month. In addition, his main store in Carlisle was destroyed by fire, and the Lewistown store was completely flooded on two separate occasions. Expansion After each setback, Javitch started over and the stores continued to grow in the 1950s. Shopping malls became a new American experience with the population moving outside of the cities and into the suburbs, and Javitch took advantage of the strip malls dotting the landscape. As a result, the company embarked