Giant Eagle Tests DVD Kiosks in C-Stores

DAN ALAIMO

PITTSBURGH — Giant Eagle began testing DVD rental kiosks from Redbox Automated Retail, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., at five Pittsburgh-area GetGo convenience store locations last month.

If the four-month test is successful, Giant Eagle plans to expand the kiosks to GetGo stores in Pittsburgh and other markets. “We will follow the success of the redboxes very closely, and should they prove successful quickly, I think you can expect us to look for expansion quickly,” company spokesman Dan Donovan said.

Nearly all of the test locations are in stand-alone GetGo stations. Giant Eagle has 115 GetGo stores, as well as 146 corporate and 71 independently owned and operated supermarkets in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland. Giant Eagle also runs large video sales and rental departments in many of its stores.

“We are certainly keeping in mind where our Iggle Videos are located and ensuring that we are not hurting one business to help another,” Donovan said. He noted that the two businesses could be complementary, although “there are no plans today to put [DVD kiosks] in our supermarket locations.”

Giant Eagle chose redbox because of its track record in other grocery chains, as well as at McDonald's, Donovan said. “We are always looking for the newest, latest and greatest, and certainly this is an option that comes very highly recommended. It is something that could exist hand-in-hand with the Iggle Videos.”