Lidl US plans to open 50 new stores by the end of 2021. The stores will be located in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, bringing the grocer’s total number of U.S. stores to more than 150, reports the publication Progressive Grocer. Lidl says the more than $500 million investment in new stores will create about 2,000 new jobs.
A recent UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School study commissioned by Lidl US showed the retailer’s prices to be up to 45% lower than those of nearby national grocers, making it an attractive proposition for bargain-hunting shoppers, while the National Retail Federation has identified Lidl as the top retailer in its Hot 100 Retailers ranking of fastest-growing companies, reports the publication.
To help support its growth, Lidl opened its third regional headquarters and distribution center, in Cecil County, Maryland, earlier this year, and has disclosed plans to open its fourth distribution center, in Covington, Georgia, over the next two years.
Germany-based Lidl operates more than 11,000 stores in 32 countries, employing about 287,000 employees worldwide. In the United States, the Arlington, Virginia-based grocer has about 100 stores in nine East Coast states. The company is No. 96 on the PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.