By Steffen Klenk
South Jersey is about to have a new option for grocery shopping. Late last month, the discount grocery chain Lidl announced plans to open 50 new stores across the U.S. by the end of next year. One of the new locations will include the former location of JR’s Fresh Market on Fire Road in Egg Harbor Township.
The company is planning to open nine additional stores across the state of New Jersey. In a statement, Lidl says it will invest over $500 million in its new locations and create more than 2,000 jobs with leading wages and benefit packages that will include healthcare insurance for all employees.
One thing shoppers will notice is a difference in the prices. The company says its expansion will bring savings to local customers. A recent study by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School showed Lidl’s prices to be 18.5% lower than Target and 10% lower than BJ’s. According to the National Retail Federation, Lidl was recently ranked the #1 retailer in the United States and named one of the fastest-growing companies in the Hot 100 Retailers list.
In addition, most of the items you’ll find at Lidl are organic and locally sourced in the United States, and roughly 90% of their products in-store are private-label, meaning there are certain products you won’t find at other grocery stores. And that can lead to big savings.
The first Lidl opened in 1973 in Ludwigshafen, Germany, just south of Frankfurt. The original store only had three employees and only 500 products, which became the foundation for their far-reaching expansion. During the 1980s, Lidl became a household name throughout Germany, with over 300 locations employing seven people at each store and stocking 900 product lines. By the late 1990s, they began opening stores outside of Germany and across Europe.
Three years ago, Lidl opened its first U.S. location in Virginia Beach. Currently, the grocery chain operates just over 10,000 stores in over 30 countries, including 112 locations on the east coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. According to Lidl, the grand opening date for the new Egg Harbor Township location will be announced in the coming months.
With the recent closure of Save-A-Lot along the Black Horse Pike and the opening of new stores like Walmart along Fire Road, the addition of Lidl will be a welcome sight for shoppers throughout South Jersey. For more information on Lidl and to see all of their special deals, please visit this website: www.lidl.com.
Steffen Klenk is a multimedia journalist. He resides in Ocean City and enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life.
