Sheffield Lake mayor confident another grocer fill Giant Eagle’s void
Stephen Szucs | The Chronicle-Telegram
SHEFFIELD LAKE — The Giant Eagle grocery store on Ivanhoe Road will close Nov. 1, but Mayor John Piskura is confident another grocer will take its place.
The supermarket notified employees earlier this month that the store would close permanently, citing underperformance.
The news came as a shock to the store’s 60 employees and to Piskura, who said losing the city’s largest employer was the last thing he expected.
“All along, (Giant Eagle) had been talking about expanding with a pharmacy and adding a Get-Go (gas station),” he said. “When we heard they were leaving, we were floored.”
Piskura faulted Levin Family Trust for the deteriorating condition of the Shoreway Shopping Center property — where the supermarket is the anchor tenant.
He said that while he didn’t know what ultimately led to the grocer leaving, the condition of the shopping center didn’t help.
“(Levin Family Trust) told us they did everything to keep Giant Eagle as a tenant, but we have to get new ownership in there,” Piskura said. “Even if we got a new grocer tomorrow, we’d still be dealing with the same ownership and the same problems.”
The Levin Family Trust couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
The city offered to purchase the center for $4.8 million in 2006 — the highest it could afford — but Levin countered with a $6.5 million asking price, and the deal fell through.
Piskura said he’s heard Levin wasn’t aware the city couldn’t go any higher, and it’s likely future negotiations could still take place.
The city also had threatened in 2006 to take the property by eminent domain if improvements weren’t made, but Piskura said recent eminent domain rulings in other cities now make that unlikely.
“I think (Levin Family Trust) will be willing to entertain an offer,” he said. “Obviously, we’re pushing for a rebuild of the entire center, and I believe the market is there for a grocer to come.”
Around 100 residents attended a Council meeting Tuesday to express their anger about Giant Eagle leaving.
Piskura said although the grocer has suggested residents shop at other Giant Eagle supermarkets in Avon Lake and Sheffield — each located about seven miles from the closing supermarket — he suspects the grocer may have left too bad of a taste in residents’ mouths for that to happen.
“The overwhelming sentiment was Giant Eagle has no sense of loyalty to Sheffield Lake,” Piskura said. “I’m banking on the fact that most people will find someplace else to shop.”
When contacted, a Giant Eagle spokesman couldn’t comment on anything other than to provide the closing date for the store.
Contact Stephen Szucs at 329-7129 or sszucs@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Stephen Szucs | The Chronicle-Telegram July 24th, 2008 in Local and State. Popularity: 4% |
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Comments
Comment from
johnbear
July 24, 2008, 6:18 am
Why would Giant Eagle stay in a place where they are losing money, and also in a dilapidated dump of a shopping center? I feel sorry for the loyal employees, but Giant Eagle is a business like many others and cannot operate at a loss. I’m confident you will not see another store come into this situation. Now that they are gone, you will see the few other stores in the center jumping ship quickly. It looks live the Levin Trust isn’t putting more money into a loser and they might as well start demolition now and try to figure out another answer. The Hardees has been empty and an eyesore for years. The new boat docks have had a maximum of 4 to 5 boats in the lot since it has been open. Nothing is going to improve in this area anytime soon with our sagging economy in Lorain County.
Comment from
lydiast.clair
July 24, 2008, 11:06 am
I think the entire shopping center should be torn down and a small amusement park put there with an arcade and a food court that could be open year round. Sheffield Lake needs something to offer. The Levin Trust should be forced to make repairs or sell. I live nearby but avoid the center because of the deplorable condition of the parking lot.
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