Johnson’s coming to New Albany, Giant Eagles
Johnson’s Real Ice Cream is growing again.
The central Ohio company plans to open its third shop in New Albany in the spring. In addition, central Ohioans will find Johnson’s ice creams at 22 Giant Eagle stores.
New Albany fits with Johnson’s growth strategy, owner Matthew Wilcoxon said, and gives the brand a good geographical spread with its other shops — in Bexley and Dublin. The 67-year-old ice-cream maker opened its Dublin shop last year. More shops are possible, although expanding distribution is a bigger priority.
“Our goal is to not oversaturate (retail locations),” Wilcoxon said. “We have a lot of growth potential with Giant Eagle. It is a great step for us.”
The location in New Albany is at 160 W. Main St. near Cameron Mitchell restaurant Hudson 29. The shop will carry about 40 of Johnson’s flavors and sell milkshakes made with milk produced in Ohio.
The deal with Giant Eagle builds on the launch last year of a specialty line of ice creams at several local grocers, such as Weiland’s, The Hills and Huffman’s. The line features some of Johnson’s most popular flavors, such as You’re Nuts, Triple Trouble Vanilla Bean, PB Choco Tornado, Coffee and the Cool Beans.
Giant Eagle scouts for local brands to stock in each of its markets, and Johnson’s fits.
“We’ve been committed to supporting the communities we serve and delivering our customers the highest quality and most delicious offerings,” Jannah Jablonski, Giant Eagle spokeswoman, said in a press release. “Making products like Johnson’s available to our Columbus shoppers is just one example of how we bring that commitment to life.”
If successful, the launch into Giant Eagle could open up other large grocers, Wilcoxon said.
Wilcoxon sees a maximum of five or six retail stores throughout central Ohio, but isn’t in a rush to add more locations. He added that the Evans Farm development in Lewis Center is one that Johnson’s is still looking at as a strong possibility in the near future.
“More shops are possible if the right opportunity comes along,” he said, “but we aren’t shopping around.”