EXCLUSIVE: LIDL US Expansion Starting in the South
European grocer entering U.S. from the southeast.
German grocer LIDL, which earlier this year opened its U.S. division's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and simultaneously announced plans to enter the United States, now has a number of sites in the works. While Lidl intends to open at least 50 locations in Georgia by 2018, the stores I've found plans for thus far are all in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
German grocer LIDL, which earlier this year opened its U.S. division's headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and simultaneously announced plans to enter the United States, now has a number of sites in the works. While Lidl intends to open at least 50 locations in Georgia by 2018, the stores I've found plans for thus far are all in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Of the planned 20 locations, the closest to Georgia will be in North Augusta, South Carolina, just across the border from Augusta, Georgia. Each store measures roughly 36,000 square feet with the majority of them being freestanding stores.
1800 East Fire Tower Road Greenville, NC 27858
723 South Van Buren Road - Eden, NC 27288
109 Randolph Street - Thomasville, NC 27360
940 North Wesleyan Boulevard - Rocky Mount, NC 27804
160 Dabney Road - Henderson, NC 27537
1104 Main Street - Wake Forest, NC 27587
1265 Fairview Drive - Lexington, NC 27292
1005 East Dixon Boulevard - Shelby, NC 28152
705 U.S. 74 Business - Rockingham, NC 28379
8180 Warren H. Abernathy Highway - Spartanburg, SC 29841
2200 East Main Street - Spartanburg, SC 29407
2510 North Road - Orangeburg, SC 29118
417 East Martintown Road - North Augusta, SC 29841
2047 Wade Hampton Boulevard - Greenville, SC 29615
9990 Charlotte Highway - Indian Land, SC 29707
1301 Mall Drive Bon Air, VA 23235
11701 Iron Bridge Road Chester,VA 23831
In the GreenGate project west of Short Pump Town Center.
5110 S Laburnum Avenue Richmond, VA 23231
A 9.2-acre site at southeast corner of Staples Mill Road and Hermitage Road Richmond,VA.
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| An artist's rendering of what new Lidl stores are likely to look like |
Pronounced “LEE-dul,” the retailer is reportedly dead set on both the size of its stores at about 36,000 square feet and owning the real estate on which they build. These requirements are making finding sites in metro Atlanta especially challenging for the budding retailer.
Personally I see potential for the retailer to enter markets such as Woodstock, Carrollton, Savannah, Rome, Douglaville etc. where they are far more likely to find the real estate they require.
Personally I see potential for the retailer to enter markets such as Woodstock, Carrollton, Savannah, Rome, Douglaville etc. where they are far more likely to find the real estate they require.
Lidl recently launched a U.S. website detailing its prospective site criteria as well as its planned entry into the market.
The new website invites submissions of available properties in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia meeting the following characteristics:
• Minimum 3.5 acres to accommodate a 36,000-square-foot stand-alone store with a minimum 150 dedicated car parking spaces.
• Signalized, full access intersection with high visibility preferred.
• Site positioned in an established retail location.
• Dense population area within 3 miles.
• Traffic counts of more than 20,000 vehicles per day.
• Site zoned for grocery retail use.
Aldi, another German-grocer often compared to Lidl, features stores far smaller in size than Lidl's.
Aldi's site requirements, according to its website as follow:
* ±18,000 square feet with a minimum of 85 dedicated parking spaces
* 2.5 acre pads for purchase and development
* End-cap or inline space with minimum of 87’ of frontage • Signalized, full access intersection preferred
* Dense trade area population within 3 miles
* Sites located in community and regional shopping districts with convenient access to population
* Sites zoned to allow grocery use
* Daily traffic count in excess of 20,000 vehicles per day
Lidl has distribution centers under construction in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Mebane (Alamance County), North Carolina, as well as having an office in metro Atlanta.
Lidl is one of the biggest grocery operators in Europe, with more than 10,000 stores in two dozen countries. Compared to its competitor Aldi, it offers more brand-name items and a wider assortment of products.
Have you been to a Lidl? If so, what are your thoughts of the retailer? Where would you like to see them open in / around metro Atlanta?
Please share your thoughts below
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