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Lidl confirms Alabama target

Local officials laud Decatur site; first Georgia store opens

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

September 14, 2017

1 Min Read
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Lidl is in the early stages of planning stores in Alabama, a spokesman confirmed to SN Thursday.

Decatur, Ala., Mayor Tab Bowling in a Facebook post Wednesday night said Lidl would build its first Alabama store in that city. “The ripple effect is tremendous for Decatur,” he said.

Reached by SN Thursday, Lidl spokesman Will Harwood confirmed for the first time that Alabama was in the retailer’s plans but added, “It's very early along in that process, and we have not set any timelines for the state.”

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Lidl on Thursday opened its first store in Georgia. The Augusta location marks the hard discounter’s 30th store since debuting its first U.S. locations in June. Earlier this summer, the company said it would build a regional headquarters in Cartersville, Ga., from which it could presumably service stores in Alabama.

Lidl currently is servicing all of its stores through a single distribution center in Fredericksburg, Va., although a second warehouse in Alamance County, N.C., is expected to open before the end of the year.

Lidl, which has U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va., has previously announced plans to expand along the East Coast between New Jersey and Georgia, and has also acknowledged it was seeking sites in Ohio and Texas.

“Our focus remains in our operations on the East Coast, where we are opening our stores currently,” Harwood said.

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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