Grocers see expansion potential in Virginia

Lidl US will open a new store in Lorton, Virginia, on July 26, the Arlington, Virginia-based division of Germany’s Schwarz Group announced on Tuesday.

The store will be located at 9001 White Spruce Way and is part of Liberty, a mixed-use community in the historic Lorton Reformatory. Lidl said it invested millions of dollars in the site, which will create more than 45 new jobs, with starting pay of $18 an hour and comprehensive benefits for all employees, including healthcare.

Lidl US will open its newest location in Virginia on July 26 in Lorton. / Photo courtesy: Lidl US

“I am excited to welcome Lidl to Liberty. Not only does it bring a diversity of grocery shopping options to Lorton, but it provides a walkable, bikeable location to many, many residents in the immediate vicinity of the store,” said Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck in a statement. “As an anchor for the rest of the commercial development at Liberty, we are already seeing exciting new options coming and anticipate welcoming Taco Rock and others to the site this fall.”

Ahead of the grand opening, Lidl said it will host an open house for the community on July 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that will include children activities and tours of the new store and product samples.  

“From the earliest stages of this project, the county and the Lorton community had a vision of a neighborhood with schools, parks and shopping all within walking distance,” said Partner/Vice President of Elm Street Development Jack Perkins. “We are thrilled to make an important part of that vision a reality by introducing Lidl to the Liberty community.”

The hard discounter’s newest location comes as Lidl is closing five stores on Sunday, two of which include stores in Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia. The other store closings are in Thomasville, North Carolina; Florence, South Carolina; and Howell, New Jersey.

A Lidl spokesperson told WGB that these “were underperforming locations, and we made the strategic decision to close these stores so we can focus on the locations that are closer and more convenient to more of our customers and where we are seeing significant growth.”

In February, Lidl laid off around 200 workers at its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Lidl, which operates more than 170 stores across nine East Coast states and Washington, D.C., is owned by the Schwarz Group.

Lidl's discount rival Aldi is maintaining its blistering pace as weekly new store openings continue to roll out nationwide. In March Aldi opened its newest store in Virginia in Alexandria. The discount grocer now operates 74 stores in Virginia. 

Florida-based Publix is continuing its march up the Atlantic Coast, which also includes market growth in Virginia. On Monday, the supermarket chain announced that it will open a new store location in Carrollton, Virginia, at Bartlett Station. The store will be 48,387 square feet and is expected to open early 2024.

Last month, the Florida-based grocer announced plans for a new store in Chesapeake, Virginia at Dominion Station at the northeast corner of Cedar Road and Dominion Boulevard. The store will be 48,387 square feet and is expected to open early 2025. The Florida-based grocery retailer operates 19 stores in Virginia, according to its website, which also lists a new store “coming soon” at Planters Station at 3189 Godwin Blvd. in Suffolk, Virginia.