Giant Eagle, EVP and CIO: We Use Technology To Bring Our Stores To Life

Kirk Ball, EVP and Chief Information Officer, Giant Eagle, speaks with David Hammond, Senior Account Executive, Parallel Technologies, about how the retail giant leverages technology to modernize its business.

Giant Eagle operates close to 550 stores spread across six states in the U.S. It is a privately held and family-owned company that has been in business for around 85 years now.

Ball and his teams handle the responsibility for all the technology solutions at Giant Eagle. It can either be in the digital space, hardware infrastructure, data center or cloud application. Much of the technology is focused on modernization and innovation to stay put in the competitive industry.

Ball says that the innovation is also in the robotics space, digitizing the store and bringing the store to life. While the pandemic created a bit of a tailwind across the retail grocery industry, efforts are on to maintain the momentum.

He says that the responsibility was also to work with suppliers to get the right products on the shelves. He explains that the sudden jolt led the company to focus on things that were the most important while also taking care of team members and customers.