Hard discounter portends new pressure on established banners
Lidl US on Tuesday said that its first nine stores would open Thursday June 15 at 8 am.
The locations are the first of 20 the German retailer earlier this month said would be opening this summer.
“We cannot wait to open our first U.S. stores and introduce customers to grocery shopping refreshed, retooled and rethought to make life better,” Brendan Proctor, president and CEO of Lidl US, said in a statement. “Every day in our stores, customers will enjoy the smell of Lidl’s freshly baked breads, a selection of sustainable products like our certified fresh and frozen fish, and top-quality wines from around the world available at market-beating prices. Our mission every day is to deliver our customers less complexity, lower prices, better choices, and greater confidence. ”
Lidl, a division of Schwarz Group with U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va., is expected to open at least 100 stores along the East Coast by next summer, bringing new pressure to established U.S. grocers. Lidl’s hard discount concept will offer a limited selection of private brand grocery and fresh products at prices up to 50% below conventional counterparts, the company said.
Lidl’s offerings include in-store bakeries, a selection of gluten-free and organic items and nonfood weekly specials offered on an as-they-last basis. Stores will have about 20,000 square feet of selling space and six aisles the company said would facilitate a convenient shopping experience.
Each of the nine locations opening June 15 – in Kinston, Greenville, Rocky Mount, Sanford and Winston-Salem, N.C.; Spartanburg and Greenville, S.C.; and Virginia Beach and Hampton, Va. — will hold ribbon cutting ceremonies at 7:40 a.m. The first 100 customers to arrive at each location will also receive a wooden coin for a chance to win up to $100 in Lidl gift cards. Shoppers also can sample an array of Lidl’s products and get a complimentary Lidl reusable bag while supplies last. The stores plan special event through the weekend
by Jon Springer
