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Israel Cohen (or Izzy, as he was known to colleagues and customers alike) was at Giant on opening day and almost every day until his death in 1995. He started out driving a truck and then drove the company as it grew to more than 160 stores and almost $4 billion in annual sales.
Under Izzy's leadership, Giant often reaped more than double the industry's average profit margins. He was a tireless innovator. The company pioneered in-store bakeries, single-portion foods, optical scanners at checkouts, and putting prices on shelves rather than on individual items. Giant is a model of vertical integration - the company not only operates its own dairy and bakes its own birthday cakes but also builds its own stores.
Izzy Cohen knew his own strength - the people of Giant Food. "My father told me when I took over here ... 'We're merely trustees. It belongs to the people who have made this company the success that it is.'"
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