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Ahold-owned supermarket retailer Giant (Carlisle) in the US has revealed it has been given the green light from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to acquire 15 Safeway-owned Genuardi’s Family Markets stores.

The move follows the purchase agreement for the outlets in the greater Philadelphia area, which was announced by Giant Food Stores on 5 January 2012, the company said in a news statement.

Giant said it is working with Safeway to begin the store transition process, with the conversion dates to be announced soon.

“We are excited to welcome the former Genuardi’s associates to the Giant family. We can’t wait to introduce our unique combination of quality, selection and savings to more neighborhoods in greater Philadelphia,” said Rick Herring, president. “Customers can expect to find the same friendly faces when they shop at Giant.”

However, under the terms of a consent order approved by the FTC, the Genuardi’s located in Newtown, Pennsylvania must be sold to an unrelated third party.

That store will be purchased by Newtown Market and operated under the McCaffrey’s banner, according to Planet Retail.