About a year after the Cherokee County Commission approved variances to its code to accommodate a new Lidl store in Woodstock, the German grocer appears to be gearing up to break ground. Earlier this week, development plans for the new roughly 29,000 square foot store were put out for bid with a deadline of December 19. This timeline suggests that construction could begin as soon as the first half of 2020.
The new store would be built on 3.17 acres of currently wooded land at the southwest corner of Bells Ferry Road and Eagle Drive near an existing large format Walmart. Lidl's application to the county indicates the store would include 128 parking spaces.
Lidl currently has just three locations open in metro Atlanta - Austell/Marietta, Mableton, and Snellville - but, as ToNeTo Atlanta has previously reported, has several new locations slated to open in 2020.
The new Woodstock Lidl, like others in the pipeline, will be smaller than the three existing stores by about seven thousand square feet. A source familiar with the grocer's plans tells ToNeTo Atlanta that the square footage reduction will be largely from back of house areas that should not impact the shopping experience. A fresh bakery will still be part of all planned stores. The grocer is also experimenting with a deli counter at select stores and could bring that feature to some of its planned Atlanta area stores.
ToNeTo Atlanta has this year reported on several upcoming Lidl stores in metro Atlanta including those planned for Marietta, Roswell, Lawrenceville, Suwanee, Sandy Springs, Reynoldstown, Jonesboro, Peachtree Corners, Brookhaven, Dunwoody and East Cobb.
New Lidl stores planned for Marietta, Roswell, Lawrenceville, Suwanee, Jonesboro and Reynoldstown will, like the store planned for Woodstock, be newly built, "ground up" stores.
The other five upcoming Lidl stores are all opening in place of former grocers or retailers.
The Lidl store planned for Brookhaven (Brighten Park) replaces a Fresh Market, as will the new Lidl in East Cobb (Woodlawn Square). In Peachtree Corners, the new Lidl will open in place of a former Earth Fare, while the new store in Dunwoody will open in place of a former Sprouts Farmers Market. The Sandy Springs store, which was thought to have been called off, is in fact still happening, but in place of a portion of the old Marshalls in City Center Crossing (fka Marshalls Plaza), rather than a "ground up" store in the parking lot, as was originally planned.
In addition to the Bells Ferry Road store, a second Lidl is also likely coming to the Woodstock area. The grocer owns a five acre parcel on Highway 92 just west of Trickum Road, and in early 2017 received approval from the Woodstock City Council on several variances it requested. The store, like others previously announced, had been tabled as the company reassessed its strategy. The Highway 92 store will likely not open until late 2020 at the earliest, but a source close to the grocer did confirm to ToNeTo Atlanta that the store is definitely happening.
Are you excited for all the planned Lidl stores in metro Atlanta? Have you been to a Lidl before? Where do you do the majority of your grocery shopping?
Please share your thoughts below.
3 comments:
Has Lidl disclosed a more specific timetable or schedule on the new location openings?
I won't be shopping here. Do further research and you'll find how badly they treat employees and the homeless.
More importantly, have they announced their exit strategy yet?
It's only a matter of time.
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