Giant Eagle debuts HBW concept

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Some of the highlights of the new HBW pilot include a full-service pharmacy department.

The concept occupies about as much floor space as a typical retail pharmacy — between 10,000 sq. ft. and 12,000 sq. ft.

Alongside the pharmacy is a private room for use in pharmacist-patient consultations, or in the administration of vaccines.

Giant Eagle's healthcare professionals — the pharmacist, a pair of full-time dieticians and on-site nutritionists, and licensed aestheticians — are available for questions to the casual shopper and participate in scheduled educational sessions for healthy-food-shopping walk-throughs.

The store features an expanded homeopathy section.

In the beauty department, a dedicated aesthetician proactively interacts with shoppers.

Joshua Shapira, director of health and wellness for Giant Eagle with Kim Machi, Pine Township HBW Team Leader

The pharmacy and HBW department enjoy a dedicated entranceway, as well as a dedicated check-stand, sans candy bars.

Joshua Shapira with Randy Heiser, VP pharmacy for Giant Eagle, and Dawn Waggoner, New Kensington HBW Team Leader

Giant Eagle is fast gaining a reputation for thinking outside of the box — or, rather, tinkering with the box — of supermarket pharmacy. The latest innovative concept is Giant Eagle's HBW (health/beauty/wellness) program that's currently being piloted in three Pittsburgh locations that, if proven successful, could become a benchmark in how to maximize a supermarket pharmacy's true potential — threading its healthcare link from the pharmacy, through a robust health, beauty and wellness department and on into the remainder of the food store.

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