German grocer Lidl has already announced that it will be opening its first US stores this summer, and we now have some more details on when the first wave will open their doors. On Thursday, June 15, the first nine stores of the previously announced 20 will open their doors for business, and the retailer is hoping to make its mark in a big way from day one. As Supermarket News explains, the company is optimistic that its model is a perfect fit for US customers.
“We cannot wait to open our first U.S. stores and introduce customers to grocery shopping refreshed, retooled and rethought to make life better,” a statement from Brendan Proctor, president, and CEO of Lidl US, read in part. “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. ”
The stores are all located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, and each of the locations has special grand opening ceremonies planned that will last through the weekend. Customers in Kinston, Greenville, Rocky Mount, Sanford and Winston-Salem, N.C.; Spartanburg and Greenville, S.C.; and Virginia Beach and Hampton, Va., will find stores that span roughly 20,000-square-feet and include just six aisles, which the company notes help to facilitate a more convenient shopping experience.
“The feedback we got from customers in the U.S. was very clear. People feel they’ve been compromised. They feel you can get good quality, but it’s extremely expensive, or you can get a cheaper product, but the value reflects that. The other compromise they make is time: The amount of time it takes to do a grocery shop,” Proctor has previously commented. “People want a good quality product, they want it at a good price, and they don’t want to spend all day in a store – they want to get back to living. That that’s our model is about. That’s our strength.”
The remaining stores slated to open this summer are located in the same three states, and we can anticipate it won’t be long before Lidl becomes a preferred stop for many consumers in the region. A successful launch in the mid-Atlantic region should lead to Lidl increasing its footprint elsewhere in the US, and that’s something we can all get excited about.
