German grocer Lidl looks at Ohio sites
Discount store offers more choices for consumers in state.
Lidl will build a store in Beavercreek, one of the first locations in Ohio, as the chain looks to compete with companies like Kroger and ALDI.
German grocery retailer Lidl will open a store in Beavercreek — one of the first locations in Ohio as the chain looks to compete with companies like Kroger and ALDI.
Planning officials confirmed with this news organization that Lidl has submitted a land development application to build a grocery store on a lot on the southwest corner of North Fairfield Road and Lakeview Drive. More than 4 acres of land will be developed.
“It’s great news any time the consumer has more choices,” said Sandra Pereira, Beavercreek associate city planner.
Here are five things consumers need to know about the German grocery store chain:
Expanding in Ohio
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 earlier 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 possible new store sites in Texas, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware, according to its website.
Coming to the U.S.
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 popular discount grocery chain is rapidly opening stores, with its U.S. headquarters situated in Arlington, Va. 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.
Lidl operates more than 10,000 stores in Europe, and started in 1973 in Ludwigshafen, Germany — just 25 miles south of Frankfurt. In the 1990s, the chain started expanding outside of Germany.
Type of properties?
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.
Bring your own bag
The stores eliminate unnecessary costs with its “bring your own bag” policy. “Not only does it mean we don’t build the cost of bags into our prices, this policy also saves you time at the register and is a greener solution,” according to Lidl’s website.
Variety of products
Lidl carries mostly its own labels — about 90 percent of its products are private label and the stores partner with local and regional farms and suppliers for fresh products. Lidl also describes its stores as carrying “more than just food.” Lidl carries everything from Halloween costumes and clothes to wine, cleaning products, frozen foods, organic products and pet accessories.