German grocer Lidl, which has acquired several DC-area sites since planting its flag in Arlington, could be opening Virginia stores as soon as this summer.

The discount grocer had initially planned its first openings for late 2017 or early 2018, but is accelerating those plans and aims to open 20 East Coast stores this summer, the Washington Business Journal reports.

The first stores will open in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, but it has not identified which specific sites it will open first.

After opening its U.S. HQ at Arlington's National Gateway in 2015, Lidl has acquired sites in Leesburg, Woodbridge, Chantilly and Dumfries in Virginia, and a site in College Park, Md. The company's ambitious plans call for opening 100 East Coast stores within a year of its first opening. The stores will be around 36k SF and compete with lower-priced grocers.