Aldi Building DC, Div. HQ in Va.

Presumably gearing up to compete against soon-to-arrive competitor Lidl, as well as current rivals in the area, limited-assortment retailer Aldi has revealed plans to establish a divisional headquarters and build a 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Virginia’s Dinwiddie County, according to a published report. Slated to be constructed on 80 acres, the $57 million project will create 145 new jobs.

Tammie J. Collins, Dinwiddie’s deputy county administrator for planning and community development, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Aldi plans to have the project up and operating by the end of next year. The newspaper noted that the Germany-based retailer, with U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., has 32 stores in Virginia, with plans to open as many as 60 more locations across the state over the next five years.

“The access to qualified and capable employees and transportation options first attracted us to this location, but it was the integrity and positive attitude of the Dinwiddie County leaders that truly won us over,” noted Aldi US CEO Jason Hart.

Meanwhile, Lidl, also based in Germany, is building its U.S. headquarters in Virginia’s Arlington County and will open a distribution center in the state’s Spotsylvania County as part of that retailer’s expected entry into the American market by 2018.  Other retailers with distribution centers in the state include Supervalu, Food Lion and Walmart, and Harris Teeter intends to begin construction next year on a 1.5 million-square-foot, $200 million facility.

Nationwide, Aldi operates more than 1,500 stores in 34 states. The retailer is in the midst of an accelerated-growth plan to have almost 2,000 stores open by the close of 2018.