Is German supermarket chain Lidl coming to San Antonio?

Lidl, the German discount supermarket chain known for lean stores and low prices on generic items, may be coming to San Antonio.

The food retailer purchased 4.2 acres Aug. 1 at the intersection of Seguin Road and Wood Glen Drive on the city’s East Side, less than a mile from an H-E-B store, according to Bexar County deed records. A separate document filed with the county shows a site plan for a proposed 36,982-square-foot grocery store.

Lidl spokesman William Harwood wouldn’t detail the company’s plans for the San Antonio property but said in an email the company is “pursuing a number of locations in the state.”

“Our operational focus at the moment remains along the east coast, where we’re opening our initial stores,” Harwood said.

Lidl and Aldi, another German discount grocer, are each making dramatic pushes into the $669 billion U.S. grocery market.

Lidl plans to open its first San Antonio store at the intersection of Alamo Ranch and Lone Star parkways on the city’s Far West Side, CBRE said in September. Lidl plans to open its first San Antonio store at the intersection of Alamo Ranch and Lone Star parkways on the city’s Far West Side, CBRE said in September. Photo: Steve Helber /Associated Press Photo: Steve Helber /Associated Press Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Is German supermarket chain Lidl coming to San Antonio? 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

Lidl plans to open its first 20 U.S. stores along the East Coast by the end of this summer, with 100 locations up and running by summer 2018. The company — with U.S. operations based in Arlington, Virginia — is also spending at least $83.3 million to build 14 stores in the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas, according to estimated construction costs filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Aldi, with 1,600 U.S. stores, launched a $3.4 billion capital investment to expand the company’s U.S. portfolio to 2,500 locations in June. The company operates 103 stores throughout Texas but none in the San Antonio area, according to the company’s website.

Both Lidl and Aldi purport to knock 50 percent off the cost of customers’ grocery runs compared with competitors’ prices, a target they can nearly achieve by operating smaller stores, said Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst with SupermarketGuru.com

“If you have someone coming in who can offer high quality foods — and their private label is high quality in both cases — at that much of a discount, you’re going to get a lot of people to go in there and check it out,” Lempert said. “Some of them are going to like it, and some of them are going to stay.”

Staff writer Richard Webner contributed to this report.

JFechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports