Here is a 1998 article discussing Fresh Ideas, Great Values that says it was under development for a year before the Ahold purchase. After Izzy Cohen died the company went to the 1224 Corporation. 1224 was run by Pete Manos and two other long time deputies of Izzy Cohen. I'm guess based on what you've said that the actual Fresh Ideas, Great Values interior was developed during and after the sale to Ahold? None of the Giant stores I shopped at in the late 1990s had Fresh Ideas, Great Values. They either had 1990s neon or the pre-neon package. It was only until the stores in western Fairfax County started to get remodeled away from the neon in the very early 2000s did I encounter Fresh Ideas, Great Values. I'm thinking by now, nearly 25 years later, that any Fresh Ideas, Great Values interior store might not be around for much longer, All of the others I knew of either got remodeled or were closed with Fresh Ideas, Great Values - Burke Lake Road and Hayfield Road being two that closed with Fresh Ideas, Great Values. Incidentally, the Parkside Baltimore location looks to have had a remodel based on pictures on Google Maps. The other two you mention are still stuck in 25 years ago...BatteryMill wrote: ↑August 28th, 2021, 6:17 pm You are welcome. Said store opened in 2003, five years after the Ahold acquisition. That prototype did not go into place after the buyout, although Giant had significantly more autonomy then, so it might have been initiated by the chain itself. From what I know a few FIGV stores are still left with Giant-MD: Dale City (Center Plaza), Accokeek, and Baltimore (Parkside). Speaking of the KoP/Devon store, would it have had a more plain version of the "Fresh Ideas. Great Values." interior? That era was somewhat of a gray area in terms of design - 1999 openings such as Rehoboth Beach and King Farm still have the classic, pre-Ahold Area.
The Devon, PA store wasn't like any Giant I had been in even Rehoboth and King Farm. The right side of the store had a "grand aisle" as some call it with produce, deli, service meat and service fish. The left side of said aisle had the salad bar and cold prepared foods. Hot to go foods like pizza, chicken wings, etc were with the deli, etc on the right. Back wall was milk, eggs, dairy and packaged meats. Left side was the standard Giant-MD frozen food section. The Devon store also had the cashier facing the customer which is standard now instead of facing forward towards the conveyor belt as Giant has always been set up. The Devon location was closest to where my friends lived at the time. Solid, well built, spotless store. But zero customers, ever. Every time I was in the store it seemed like me and the few employees they had. I only went in because of it being a familiar store for me coming from the DC area. Everyone else was at Super Fresh and Genaurdi's further down US 202.