Rudolph Bell

dbell@greenvillenews.com

German discount grocer Lidl is planning at least two stores in Greenville as it invades the U.S. market from Europe.

According to site plans on file at County Square, Lidl plans stores on Woodruff Road and on Wade Hampton Boulevard right in front of Wade Hampton High School.

Both would have about 36,000 square feet of space and be near groceries operated by Aldi, another German chain that competes with Lidl.

The Woodruff Road Lidl is planned on what is now a grassy lot near the intersection with Bell Road, next to Woodruff Road Christian Church and across the street from Rocky Creek Apartments.

The Wade Hampton Lidl is planned on a vacant parcel at the intersection with Balfer Drive, right in front of Wade Hampton High School and next to a Taco Bell.

Will Harwood, a spokesman at the chain’s new U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, was mostly tight-lipped about its expansion plans on Tuesday.

“With regard to store numbers, we’re still in the early stages of our expansion and haven’t set a total number that we plan to open nationally or regionally,” he told The Greenville News via email. “However, I can tell you that we’re looking at numerous sites in the area.”

Harwood said Lidl may release information about store manager openings in the area in coming weeks.

Lidl says it operates about 10,000 stores across Europe, but it's just now beginning to penetrate the U.S. market.

Over the past 14 months, the chain has announced its U.S. headquarters in Arlington as well as distribution centers with regional offices in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, according to reports in Supermarket News, a trade publication.

In addition, Lidl has said it is seeking store sites in eight states: Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

In South Carolina, Lidl has filed development plans for groceries with local governmental authorities in Charleston, Columbia and Spartanburg, according to newspaper reports.

Lidl says its markets offer fresh meat, produce and bakery items and a wide selection of household goods.

“Through 10,000 stores in 27 countries, we’ve precisely designed every part of our process to deliver the highest quality products at the lowest possible price and the most efficient shopping experience possible,” the chain says on its website.