Fairview Tops purchased by Giant Eagle
By Kevin Kelley
Westshore
Published Oct. 18, 2006

It’s one less thing the folks at Fairview Park City Hall have to worry about.

The Tops grocery store at Fairview Shopping Plaza on Lorain Road is among those being purchased by Giant Eagle. The store will close in December and reopen in January under the new name.

“This is excellent news for our city and for this business district on Lorain Road,” Fairview Park Mayor Eileen Patton said. “We have a very strong and dedicated customer base of residents who have supported our present Tops store and we look forward to welcoming Giant Eagle to our community.”

In addition to the Fairview Park location, Giant Eagle is purchasing 17 other Tops stores in Northeast Ohio.

Between Dec. 7 and Dec. 20, the Fairview Park Tops will begin laying off its 81 employees, Patton said. However, they will have the opportunity to reapply for jobs at the new Giant Eagle.

Jim Kennedy, Fairview Park’s director of development, said it’s unfortunate the employees will experience at least some economic uncertainty, especially shortly before Christmas. However, he’s glad Giant Eagle will be taking over the store.

“We’re very happy with that,” Kennedy said. “We don’t like vacant stores.

“I think the store will do very well there.”

The fates of 28 remaining Tops stores, including those in Westlake and North Olmsted, remain in doubt. Those stores will continue to operate under the Tops banner over the next few weeks.

“Tops continues to work with prospective purchasers for the remaining stores and will be finalizing additional agreements by the end of the year,” a company statement said last week. “Associates, customers, appropriate government officials and vendors are today (Oct. 10) being notified of Tops’ intention to exit the market by the end of the year.”

Tops spokesman Denny Hopkins said chances are the remaining Tops stores will close by the end of the year if no buyers are found before then.

“Our goal is to sell all of the locations by the end of the year,” Hopkins said.

Westlake Economic Development Director Robert Parry said he hopes another grocery store will move in to the Tops location on Columbia Road.

“I think there’s enough of a market there to support a grocery store,” Parry said.

Because the store is smaller than the newer superstores many grocery chains now utilize, Parry speculated that the location might fit a specialized grocery chain.

In Lakewood, Giant Eagle will move across Detroit Road to a soon-to-be-vacated larger Tops location. The store will re-open under the Giant Eagle sign in mid-December.

At his Lakewood office Friday, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich held a meeting of local community, political and union leaders to discuss the potential loss of about 4,000 jobs if the remaining Tops stores close.

On Monday, Kucinich wrote U.S. Attorny General Alberto Gonzales and members of the Federal Trade Commission asking that they investigate the sale.

Kucinich said he’s concerned about the loss of competition that Tops’ departure from the region could have. Giant Eagle already operates 112 stores in the state.

“There’s a great deal of concern if stores close that monopolies would be created and it would affect the price of food,” Kucinich told West Life Friday.

The congressman said he hopes to meet with officials from both Tops and Giant Eagle.

“We’re not going to sit back and let these stores be closed without an effort,” Kucinich said. “We’re going to try and save these stores and save these jobs.”

Crain’s Cleveland Business reported in its Oct. 9 edition that an unidentified private equity firm was pursuing the Tops stores. The would-be investor could involve a locally based grocer, the paper reported.

Ahold, the Dutch parent company of Tops, announced its decision to divest of its Northeast Ohio Tops stores in July.