GERMAN GROCER LIDL TO BUILD IN BEAVERCREEK
German grocery retailer Lidl will open a store in Beavercreek, one of the first locations in Ohio.
Planning officials confirmed with this news organization that the German chain grocery store has submitted a land development application to build a store on a lot on the southwest corner of North Fairfield Road and Lakeview Drive. More than four acres will be developed.
“It’s great news any time the consumer has more choices,” said Sandra Pereira, associate city planner.
The chain, known for its discounted prices on food products, is focused on its first round of 10 stores that just opened in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Lidl is also known for its private labels and innovative store layouts — and it even sells “fashionable but casual” clothing.
The chain is rapidly opening stores, with its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va. A spokesman told the Dayton Daily News in July that the grocery chain is “actively looking at sites across the state.”
The company posted two job openings in Columbus last month — hiring for a regional real estate development manager and a regional real estate acquisitions manager. Both jobs would be based out of Columbus and would require travel, according to the job postings.
Lidl is looking for sites in Texas, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware, according to its website. Lidl plans to create more than 5,000 jobs in the U.S. in the next year, and will open up to 100 stores on the East Coast by summer 2018.
According to Lidl officials, potential sites should be located within current targeted Lidl areas, possess a minimum of 3.5 acres to accommodate a 36,000-square-foot standalone store with room for at least 150 parking spaces, and be positioned in an established retail location that is within three miles of a dense population area.
Possible sites must also see traffic of more than 20,000 vehicles come through the area daily, and be zoned for grocery retail use, the company says.