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Low-cost German grocer Lidl is looking to enter the North American market with two proposed stores in the Houston area. The company has put forth plans for a 36k SF store at the corner of FM 518 and Liberty Drive in Pearland, Community Impact News reports. The grocer submitted a plat application to the city and is seeking a variance to allow alcohol sales within 300 feet of a school. In December, the Galveston County Daily News reported Lidl was looking to build a 35k SF store at SH 96 and Tuscan Lakes Boulevard.
Lidl is slowly wading into the water after announcing plans for North American expansion back in 2015. After settling on a regional HQ and distribution center, Lidl was quiet until this week when the grocer announced it would open 20 stores this summer, mostly in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
If Lidl does decide to enter the Houston market it will face stiff competition. Twenty-one new grocery stores are planned to open here in 2017 alone.
