German Discount Grocer Lidl Expanding to United States

Company’s U.S. headquarters will be in Washington, D.C., area.

June 16, 2015

ARLINGTON, Va. – German discount supermarket retailer Lidl announced late last week it is establishing a presence in the United States for the first time, with U.S. corporate headquarters planned for Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. The move comes as the company’s rival grocer Aldi continues to aggressively expand throughout the United States.

Lidl, which operates nearly 10,000 stores in 26 countries, will also open a regional headquarters and distribution center facility in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. While the company has not yet announced specific plans for when and where its first American stores will open, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said he expects that Lidl will spend $202 million in Virginia. The company’s Arlington headquarters will employ about 500 people, with another 200 employees at the Spotsylvania distribution center.

“We are excited to take this important step to launch Lidl’s expansion into the U.S. and look forward to introducing American consumers to a different type of shopping experience,” said Brendan Proctor, president and CEO of Lidl U.S., in a media statement. “Our philosophy is simple: we are focused on offering customers top quality products at the most competitive pricing in convenient locations. We plan to build on the foundation that has made Lidl so successful in Europe, while creating a unique experience for American consumers that will be unlike anything else in the market.”

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