Friday, October 18, 2019

[CONFIRMED] East Cobb The Fresh Market to Close in November, Lidl to Open Summer 2020

ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported earlier this week that German discount grocer Lidl plans to open four additional stores in metro Atlanta in 2020. Today, we received confirmation that the one store coming to a currently occupied space, a The Fresh Market in East Cobb, is a "done deal," and that The Fresh Market will close as of November 18.  
Greensboro, North Carolina-based The Fresh Market opened their East Cobb store at Woodlawn Square along Johnson Ferry Road in 2003 in what was previously a TJ Maxx.  TJ Maxx left Woodlawn Square when it teamed with sibling retailer HomeGoods to open a combination store in a former Uptons at nearby Providence Square shopping center on Roswell Road. 

Following The Fresh Market's closure, plans call for Lidl to open their new store in mid-to-late summer 2020.  The store, which measures just under 22,000 square feet, will be far smaller than Lidl's other Atlanta area stores - Snellville, Austell/Marietta and Mableton - each of which measure 36,000 square feet. The East Cobb store, and the others detailed earlier this week, will also all be "inline" locations within existing shopping centers, rather than freestanding buildings as all the others were, and as the grocer had originally planned for all stores.  

Industry experts tell ToNeTo Atlanta that the new Lidl stores planned for metro Atlanta are a reflection of the grocer's change in direction and willingness to be more nimble and adjust to the existing size and location of available spaces in key markets they want to penetrate.  

As local residents will recall, Lidl has previously sought to open a new store at the corner of Gordy Parkway and Shallowford Road in place of the Park 12 movie theater.  Cobb county commissioners ultimately voted against the store amidst significant community opposition where an expected increase in traffic was among their primary concerns.  The theater site is about seven miles from the store planned for Woodlawn Square.  

The new East Cobb store and the other locations reported earlier this week are among several stores the grocer plans to open in metro Atlanta over the next year or so.  

In July, the Marietta City Council approved a new Lidl at 670 Whitlock Avenue in Marietta. The new store, which will replace a vacant onetime A&P, will be 29,000 square feet and should open in 2020.  A Lidl store could also come to Duluth as part of Watkins Real Estate Group's planned Marketplace Village project along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, adjacent to where Fuqua Development built their Sprouts Farmers Market-anchored Sugarloaf Marketplace in 2016.  The size and status of the potential Lidl at the Watkins project is unclear and attempts to get updates from the developer and grocer were unsuccessful.

ToNeTo Atlanta reported August 7 that previously tabled stores at 3530 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County and 2985 Peachtree Parkway in Suwanee in Forsyth County are now moving forward, according to local filings.  That said, they are moving forward smaller than originally proposed, with each expected to be about 29,000 square feet, down from the originally proposed 36,000 square feet.  

In September, ToNeTo Atlanta reported that Lidl is also planning to open a new store in Roswell in place of an aging shopping center on Holcomb Bridge Road.  The center, The Crossings at Roswell, is set on roughly four acres at the intersection of Holcomb Bridge and Old Roswell Roads, and was built in 1984 according to real estate site LoopNet.  Plans call for a complete demolition of the roughly 40,000 square foot center and for the new Lidl to be about 29,000 square feet, according to documents submitted to the City of  Roswell.

Are you excited for the opening of Lidl in East Cobb?  Are you sad to see The Fresh Market close their store in Woodlawn Square?  Where else would you like to see Lidl open in metro Atlanta?

Please share your thoughts below  

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I visited Lidl in Mableton out of curiosity and liked it fine. The store was very busy and while I didn't see a ton of things I couldn't get elsewhere but it wasn't a bad option. I've visited Fresh Market several times over the years but really don't recall buying very many items. Sprouts has become a regular stop for items I can't get a Publix or Kroger.

I doubt Fresh Market makes it much longer. The grocery wars are increasingly tense.

Anonymous said...

Are you excited for the opening of Lidl in East Cobb? NO

Are you sad to see The Fresh Market close their store in Woodlawn Square? YES

No decent grocery chain is interested in ATL. You don't patronize better grocers, they close up, and only lower end / limited selection grocers come in. North Carolina is flooded with grocery stores and now Wegman's is entering there. Don't expect Wegman's or any decent grocer to even look at ATL because we (YOU) do NOT support them!

Anonymous said...

That’s been a busy fresh market for years in east Cobb can’t believe they are closing it. Agree that they are probably won’t be around much longer

Unknown said...

I guess they're scared of ITP.

Anonymous said...

I am so sad to lose this wonderful store. They have things that no other store has. I am NOT excited about Lidl. I will never set foot in that store.

BigD said...

How come? It's a great grocery store with a great bakery.

Anonymous said...

Sad to see this store leave. It was my Zen grocery shopping place and the employees are so nice there. I found it convenenient and reasonable priced for items I picked up weekly. Hope the emplyees will find jobs with the new place.

Anonymous said...

I am super excited about Lidl coming to East Cobb. They were going into the old Marshall’s store in Sandy Springs but pulled out and I was totally bummed but East Cobb is so much better. They are unlike any of the other food stores so will be a great addition to the Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Publix and Kroger. Once people realize how great they are you will not be disappointed!! They are all up and down the East Coast and very popular in Europe.

Katinka said...

I'm excited about Lidl coming to EC. I'm the child of a German mother and know the chain well. Their quality is a notch above Aldi. While I also loved Fresh Market, I only went there a few times a year for specific items. The bakery and the imported German roast coffee at Lidl will keep this EC mom happy

Patrick said...

Property costs are higher ITP where there is higher poverty rates. If your a business you go where the money is.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sad about this. The Fresh Market has delicious food and reasonable prices compared to whole paycheck down the street. why could they not set up shop in the Sears Outlet/Kmart building? That space is huge and would cater to multiple income sources. Lidl's bakery is NOT good! Yuck!

jeff a. taylor said...

Fresh Market was the only place in East Cobb you could dependably get Prime beef. It will be missed (Lidl only carries Choice beef.) I fail to see what demo Lidl is going for in that HIGHLY competitive corridor, especially at that tiny size. Plus it will take far too long to bootstrap, suggesting a lot of money is being spent on refits. Just dumb. Doubt it lasts three years.

Anonymous said...

oh my God what's going on with this Shopping Center? It's becoming a dump. Mellow Mushrooms gross. The Fresh Market leaving and becoming Lidl? They have the worst bakery! Bland! Now I have no reason to go to the shopping center except for Chick-fil-A. What a shame!

Anonymous said...

I aa so so sad to see fresh market go. They always had the freshest items. And great customer service. I will be very sad to see them go

Anonymous said...

Wow! I was at The Fresh Market yesterday and almost everything is gone! I mean the store looks empty. They possibly could close earlier than advertised. Sad to see it go.

Anonymous said...

"Property costs are higher ITP where there is higher poverty rates. If your a business you go where the money is. "

Dumb know-nothing comment. Explain why there are Whole Foods stores ITP if poverty is such a disincentive?

Anonymous said...

I’m very excited that Lidl will be coming to Johnson Ferry Rd. My daughter introduced me to their Velada Pink Moscato when I visited her in SC and I love it. I was only able to purchase it when I went to the VA clinic in Austell so I’m happy they’ll be much closer. Very nice selection from their bakery and fruits also.

Anonymous said...

Drove by the shopping center where Lidi is in the process of opening. Noted a new sign in Johnson Ferry has been installed. A single banner us above the store but it is not open. Looking at the front of the store it looks like they are about ready to open.

Thanks for the blog.

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