Lidl Planning Philly Stores: Report

German supermarket chain Lidl has purchased an industrial building site in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia for $2.88 million as the location for what could be its first store within the city, according to a published report.

The site is near a Walmart Supercenter and a ShopRite store, indicating that Lidl, which has its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va., is unafraid of competition from established grocers in the region, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Citing the German Embassy’s website, the newspaper noted that Lidl has plans to open 150 stores along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

Other Philadelphia-area sites being considered by the company include Warminster, Pa.; Ridley Township, Pa.; and Millville, N.J.; according to the Inquirer, which further reported that Lidl intended to anchor a retail-and-residential project along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia, and that the company’s website offers a store management job listing in Burlington County, which is within the greater Philadelphia area.

While not disclosing specific locations, Lidl U.S. spokesman Will Harwood told the publication that the grocer was “actively preparing a number of sites in the area, and throughout Pennsylvania.” Harwood added that the company’s regional headquarters and distribution center in Cecil County, Md., would be able to serve several states.

In related news, the retailer has also received planning approval to open a store in Lacey Township, N.J., on the Jersey Shore, according to another published report, this one in the Asbury Park Press. Lacey Township is about 60 miles from Philadelphia.

Lidl’s first U.S. stores are slated to open by 2018.