The German grocery chain Lidl opened its first 10 stores in the U.S. on Thursday. More than half of them were in North Carolina: Kinston, Greenville, Sanford, Rocky Mount, Wilson and Winston-Salem. Another two were in South Carolina: Spartanburg and Greenville. Two more were in Virginia.
No stores have opened in the Charlotte area just yet, but Lidls are under construction in South End, Mooresville and Rock Hill, and the grocer might have plans for more in Charlotte, but has not confirmed a timetable for them, the Charlotte Observer reports.
The new Lidl stores are about 20K SF — small compared to most U.S. grocery stores — and carry a relatively limited selection of private-label brands. The grocer, like its German rival Aldi, asserts that its prices are considerably lower than typical U.S. supermarkets.
