Martin’s Food Markets is a supermarket banner based in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, originating from a small chain founded in Hagerstown, Maryland, which Giant-Carlisle purchased in 1968. The banner operates in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, serving both suburban and rural communities. Martin’s stores offer a full range of grocery services including pharmacies, fuel stations, and online ordering through platforms like DoorDash, with branding tailored to regional preferences.
Martin’s is operated by The Giant Company, often known as Giant-Carlisle or Giant/Martin’s, a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize. The company is distinguished from Giant Food, a Maryland-headquartered sister chain also owned by Ahold Delhaize and often referred to as Giant-Landover. The banner developed its own identity within the Giant corporate structure while sharing operational infrastructure, supply chain resources, and private-label products with the parent company.
History
The parent company, Giant-Carlisle, was founded in 1923 when David Javitch opened a small meat market called Carlisle Meat Market in Pennsylvania. In 1936, Javitch purchased a store in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, which he named the Giant Shopping Food Center, offering the novel concept of dry goods and perishables under one roof. By 1968, Giant had reached its ninth store opening in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with David Javitch becoming chairman and passing the presidency to his son, Lee Javitch.
The company’s growth accelerated with the purchase of the Martin’s chain, based in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1969, and expanded to New Jersey in 1970, opening three stores under the name Clover-Markets. This acquisition added approximately 20 stores across Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, significantly broadening Giant’s regional presence beyond Pennsylvania for the first time. A new merchandising effort began with the introduction of “Everyday Low Prices.”
By 1973, the company’s 50th anniversary, it operated a total of 18 stores. In 1974, David Javitch died, and Lee established the David Javitch Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit children of Giant/Martin’s employees. As the 1970s closed, 24 stores were in operation, with Nick Riso appointed president and Lee Javitch assuming the position of chairman. In 1981, the Javitch family sold the company to Royal Ahold Corporation, a food retailing business based in the Netherlands. In May 2025, the company operated 193 stores total, 133 pharmacies, and 107 fuel stations.
The Martin’s name, once known only in Hagerstown, expanded into nearby Waynesboro, Pennsylvania; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Frederick, Maryland; and Winchester, Virginia. The chain later expanded further west into Maryland’s Allegany County, into West Virginia’s Jefferson and Mineral counties, into Virginia’s Culpeper and Warren counties, and as far south as Petersburg, Virginia. The Martin’s name was extended into west central Pennsylvania upon the purchase of corporate-owned Jubilee Foods stores, which use the Martin’s banner to avoid confusion with Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, which has stores in many of those same markets.
In 1998, when Ahold purchased Giant-Landover, some Martin’s stores were closed and sold to comply with Federal Trade Commission regulations in Frederick, Carroll, Harford and Cecil counties in Maryland; however, two stores in Eldersburg and Rising Sun were retained and continue to operate as Martin’s. The chain implemented the Bonuscard program in 2000 and began selling gasoline in front of its stores around that same time.
In 2009, Giant-Carlisle announced plans to purchase the Ukrops chain, expanding its market further into Virginia, with these stores operating under the Martin’s banner. By the mid-2010s, Giant operated more than 180 stores, reflecting sustained growth from acquisitions like the 2012 purchase of 16 Genuardi’s locations.
In November 2018, Giant-Carlisle announced that it would acquire 5 Shop ‘n Save supermarkets from SuperValu, Inc. and operate them under its Martin’s Food Markets banner. The stores to be converted were located in Smithsburg, Maryland; Greencastle, Pennsylvania; Berryville, Virginia; and Hedgesville and Martinsburg, West Virginia. In 2019, Giant also acquired one store from Ferguson & Hassler and three stores from Musser’s Markets in Pennsylvania.
In 2019, Giant began the rollout of a robotic assistant named “Marty” to all of its locations. “Marty” travels unassisted around the store and checks for hazards, allowing employees to spend more time engaging with customers. In 2019, Giant introduced Giant Heirloom Market, a smaller store format designed for urban areas, with the first location opening on January 25, 2019, in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Operations & Footprint
As of October 2025, Martin’s Foods consists of 34 stores located across Maryland (8 stores), Pennsylvania (9 stores, concentrated in the western and central regions including Altoona and Dubois), Virginia (12 stores), and West Virginia (5 stores). These locations serve suburban and rural communities, particularly in Appalachian and border areas, distinguishing the brand from Giant’s more urban-focused operations in eastern Pennsylvania.
The Giant Company is an American regional supermarket chain headquartered in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and is a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize. The 2016 merger of parent company Ahold with Delhaize Group formed Ahold Delhaize, solidifying Giant’s role in a diversified U.S. portfolio that included brands like Food Lion and Hannaford; the deal, valued at $28 billion, required divesting 81 overlapping stores to secure regulatory approval but enabled shared best practices in pharmacy services and supply chain efficiency.
Products, Services & Merchandising
Martin’s stores emphasize everyday essentials, fresh produce, and prepared foods, while sharing private label products with Giant, such as the Nature’s Promise organic line and the recently rebranded Giant brand items that incorporate the parent’s logo for consistency across banners. The operations mirror those of the parent company, offering a full range of grocery services including pharmacies, fuel stations, and online ordering through platforms like DoorDash.
Customers can sign up for a Martin’s BonusCard offering access to weekly promotions and sales, coupons, and gas rewards. Martin’s features a mobile app providing easy access to personalized digital coupons, mobile shopping lists and more.
Competitive Landscape
Martin’s is strong in its trade area, usually being first in market share. The integration with parent Giant supports cost efficiencies and unified supply chain management, allowing Martin’s to compete effectively in less densely populated markets where customer loyalty is driven by convenience and value.
Recent Developments & Outlook
In November and December, Giant opened three new supermarkets, including two in Philadelphia (a 67,000-square-foot store at 2201 Cottman Avenue and a 46,000-square-foot store at 1403 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard), and one in Bucks County, a 72,500-square-foot store in the Cross Keys Place shopping center in Doylestown. On December 16, 2021, a Giant Heirloom Market location opened in the ground level of the former Strawbridge & Clothier flagship department store at the Fashion District Philadelphia, with the company retrofitting the 32,000-square-foot space of the historical building while preserving its interior design elements.
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