WASHINGTON — German discount grocer Lidl, with 10,000 stores throughout Europe, continues its initial U.S. expansion with its second store in Fredericksburg, Virginia, scheduled to open Feb. 15.
The newest Lidl is located at 5455 Plank Road. It opened its first store in Fredericksburg in November, at 1175 Warrenton Road.
Lidl, known for its lower priced store brands and easy to navigate stores, opened its first store in the immediate D.C. area in Manassas, at 11782 Sudley Manor Drive, in September.
Lidl has now opened more than a dozen stores in Virginia since launching its East Coast blitz last year, with plans for more, including more locations in the D.C. region, though the Washington Business Journal has reported it may be scaling back its initial plans.
Lidl established its North American headquarters in 2015 in Crystal City, which employ more than 700, as its base for U.S. expansion. It has distribution centers in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and Cecil County, Maryland, with plans for more than 100 East Coast stores eventually.
The newest Fredericksburg store is 20,000 square feet, the standard size of Lidl locations, with just six aisles, extensive wine selections and a bakery. About 90 percent of the products it stocks are Lidl-branded items.
Rival discount grocer Aldi, with 30 stores in the D.C. area, is spending $30 million to upgrade its stores in the region, part of a nationwide, $1.6 billion investment in its U.S. stores.
