Saturday, July 23, 2022

[CLOSURE ALERT] Lackluster Sales Lead Lidl to Leave Sandy Springs

A grocery store that just opened in Sandy Springs in 2021 is now closing.  Lidl, located at 6331 Roswell Road in a center currently known as City Center Crossing, opened January 20, 2021, and is due to close July 31, according to employees at the store.  The nearly 28,000 square foot store opened in a large and heavily renovated portion of a onetime Marshalls that itself relocated to nearby Hammond Exchange.  

The closure is by all accounts limited to Sandy Springs and a reflection of the store's performance since opening which has reportedly lagged others in the market.  The store, set back from Roswell Road, was several years in the making with the company eventually compromising on several elements of the store design and orientation in an effort to get it approved by the City of Sandy Springs.  Ultimately, their willingness to be extra nimble in Sandy Springs, with an inline building set back from the road with limited visibility, may have disadvantaged them from the start.   

The Sandy Springs Lidl store was adjacent to a Trader Joe's-anchored shopping center, across from an Aldi, with Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods stores surrounding it not far away.  

City Center Crossing, which was purchased this past September by First National Realty Partners, is slated to welcome a new Planet Fitness September 13.  

Germany-based Lidl, which has US headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, continues to expand in the U. S. while at the same time "optimizing its store fleet" by selectively closing certain under-performing stores.  In addition to the Sandy Springs closure, Lidl stores in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and Danville, Virginia, both of which opened in 2017 during the grocer's first wave of American openings, are slated to close July 31.  Earlier this year, the grocer also closed a store in Thomasville, North Carolina and in 2020 closed stores in Havelock and Shelby, North Carolina.  

In response to the closure in Sandy Springs, a company representative had this to say:

"We conduct periodic store performance evaluations in all of our markets, and we made the difficult decision to close the Sandy Springs store. This was an underperforming location within our strongly growing store network and we made a strategic decision to close this location so we can focus on the locations where we are seeing significant growth. We are grateful for all the customers who have made Lidl their go-to grocery choice in the area and we hope to see them at our other stores that we operate in the area, or others we plan to open in the future."  

Despite the closures, the grocer is committed to competing in metro Atlanta and the US market and has several stores in its pipeline for the greater metro Atlanta area in the coming months and years.  

Lidl will on August 17 open its latest Atlanta area store at 1855 Memorial Drive in Kirkwood.  ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the planned store October 19, 2019.  The new store will mark the grocer's 17th store in Georgia.   In addition to Kirkwood, the grocer is planning to open several other new locations in metro Atlanta including those planned for Ponce de Leon Avenue near Ponce City Market, Lawrenceville Highway near Decatur, Woodstock, Cumming and Norcross, among others.  

In addition, the company recently "went vertical" on their 925,000 square foot, $100 million distribution center in Covington.  The project, first announced in 2017, was originally to be constructed in Cartersville, but was switched to Covington in early 2020.  No doubt delayed by supply chain issues, the project is now on track to open in late 2023 or early 2024, according to a source familiar with the grocer's plans.  

Are you surprised to see Lidl close its Sandy Springs store?  If you live in the area, where do you do the majority of your grocery shopping?  What would you like to see open in place of Lidl in Sandy Springs?

Please share your thoughts below. 

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sad to see it close. Always enjoyed their produce and you can’t beat their prices. The place was always empty, so I can see why it didn’t perform well.

Anonymous said...

Snort. I hope the one in Dunwoody folds too.

Anonymous said...

Why would you like to see that store close? Just curious.

Anonymous said...

I’m
Very put off by Lidl. The store was very oddly arranged and the presentation of merchandise appeared messy and disorganized.

Anonymous said...

Where is a LIDL going on Ponce?

CloseOTP said...

@Anon @ 3:42AM - why do you hope a business that employs people and fills an empty spot in a shopping center goes out of business? Do you think businesses are lined up to go into their store if they close? If you don't like Lidl, guess what the solution is? Don't shop there. SMDH...

Anonymous said...

Nasty store with nasty processed food. Crappy knockoff store brands. Good riddance.

Ham said...

I heard all the praise, so decided to check them out. Can't say it was bad, but didn't really impress me either. I suppose I want grocery shopping to be as quick and efficient as possible, so I stick with one place and get it done.

Anonymous said...

Underperforming or not, you cannot adequately assess business performance after only one year. Ridiculous decision after all the effort to open. Have to give it 3 years minimum.

Anonymous said...

Store was always pretty empty and it's very hidden if you don't know it's there. Good sales. And for the food snobs you get that most of the store brands are made by the national brands, right? With the exception of one or two specific items, I think everything we've had from there has been as good as the national brands.

Not just this store, but all the Lidl's that I don't get is those random two aisles of crap. Reminds me a bit of Big Lots.

Alex said...

Looks like the Publix, Kroger, and Whole Food fanboys are on the blog today.

Anonymous said...

Lidl has changed. What happened to the fresh baked cookies and other baked items? Haven’t been available in over a year. Some other items once carried are now MIA. Stopped shopping there.

Anonymous said...

This person is obviously a malcontent. Why wish a company bad luck due to your disliking the store orientation? Just move on and let them be. Jeez.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully a Trader Joes will replace it. We need more Trader Joes locations in Atlanta.

Anonymous said...

I do not know anyone that is or has ever been a fan of Kroger- I think at most the community “tolerates” Kroger. I only used to go there if I needed something after Publix or WF closed at 10 PM, then our Kroger (in a strong healthy and wealthy neighborhood) closed obviously due to referendum by the community at large. Having a major grocer close in such an area is not due to the action of a few, but due to the action of many.

Anonymous said...

I do not know anyone that is or has ever been a fan of Kroger- I think at most the community “tolerates” Kroger. I only used to go there if I needed something after Publix or WF closed at 10 PM, then our Kroger (in a strong healthy and wealthy neighborhood) closed obviously due to referendum by the community at large. Having a major grocer close in such an area is not due to the action of a few, but due to the action of many.

Anonymous said...

Kroger is missing something that Publix and WF have, especially PUBLIX. The fact that the rather large formerly flagship (Disco) Kroger location is closing on Piedmont only for Publix to re-open in the same exact space tells you everything about Kroger management ceding the market to Publix. That together with so many Kroger closings at large tells you that Kroger has ceded the market to Publix. On the other hand Publix keeps opening brand new stores even those within short distance of another. Just look at I think it’s called the new perimeter market place across from walmart in dunwoody has a brand new Publix across from Walmart in Dunwoody even though another Publix is two minutes in one direction on Chamblee Dunwoody Road and another two minutes in the other direction on Hammond Drive. likewise there is that huge Publix at town Brookhaven which is wildly successful, two minutes i think south is publix on peachtree next to dicks sporting goods and target, then back the other way north by 2 minutes is publix Oglethorpe Crossing and two minutes from Oglethorpe Crossing is the brand new Chamblee Publix on Peachtree Boulevard opening in the august timeframe. publix has just dominated the market and you know what they have well earned their place in the marketplace.

Anonymous said...

Love Lidl, but Sandy Springs was never going to succeed. If it's not generic, forget it.

Anonymous said...

I was a loyal shopper at Lidl Sandy Springs, visiting 2 - 3x per week. I am disappointed it will close, but knew the foot traffic wasn't there. Lidl has such a better presentation of goods vs Aldi, but Aldi has many loyal customers who don't mind extremely no frills shopping experience. I agree that being set back so far from the road, with a bank blocking its view from busy Roswell Road definitely hurt Lidl. I will visit the Dunwoody or East Cobb to see how those stores compare. For the record, I have and continue to shop at TJ's, Aldi's, Publix and Kroger, just not with the frequency I did with Lidl.

Anonymous said...

There is literally a Trader Joes 13 feet from this Lidl. It's where all the would-be customers go, if not Aldi. They couldn't have chosen a more saturated location for their oddball items.

Anonymous said...

"Ceding the market to Publix." Pfft. What Krogers (intown at least) have closed?
Publix has been blanketing the city of Atlanta with a ton of small stores that have at best 1/2 - 2/3 the selection of an average Kroger, with much higher prices. I mean, it's not even close! Publix has a great bakery and deli, and their produce is *usually* better than Kroger's, but for anything and everything else #imgoingkrogering

Anonymous said...

All closings for Kroger - 1. Metropolitan Parkway near Cleveland Avenue 2. Cambridge Square in Brookhaven 3. The flagship Fresh Fare Disco Kroger in Buckhead (closing end of 2022 to make way for a new *Publix*) 3. N. Hairston Road at Hairston Village in Stone Mountain 4. Roswell Road at Northridge shopping center in Sandy Springs 5. Peachtree Street in Brookwood Place in south Buckhead 6. Kroger has indefinitely tabled new stores planned for Marketplace Terrell Mill in East Cobb and 7. West Midtown Center in West Midtown. 8. Kroger on Pio Nono Avenue in Macon - Also in Savanna and Augusta GA - These are just the ones I am aware of and only those in GA. Also Publix is way better in every single category not just bakery deli produce. They are also CHEAPER! their sales are for items people actually use including bogo. What good is a sale at Kroger for items no one uses? The number one reason to favor Publix over Kroger is the people and the service. Kroger meat and dairy are always always spoiled. They’re the only grocer I’ve ever seen that instead of tossing out of date perishables, they mark them down and tried to sell them. That’s just not healthy. The employees at Kroger do you not understand the meaning of customer service, and they treat customers badly, and when you talk to them you can tell they have empty souls. Whereas Publix employees are like family. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another number one reason to stick with Publix, and that is… I never heard of a “murder Publix” however there are not one but two “murder Kroger‘s” in Atlanta! Oh snap!

Anonymous said...

Go there for the gas discount. Period.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely! I live not far, and while I go to Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, that LIDL was a weekly stop for produce and salmon. I will miss it.

Anonymous said...

There's a Trader Joe's RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. This is the closest to me, but I'll need to check those other two out.

Melissa Abernathy said...

Why don’t you put your name with those bold statements of yours.

Anonymous said...

I really liked Lidl. More than Aldi. Sad to see it close.

Anonymous said...

Sandy Springs people are way too snobby for Lidl. I live in SS & the people think their s*** doesn't stink.

anonymous said...

1. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get out of the Lidl shopping ctr onto Roswell Rd. Doesn't matter what store is in there, the shopping ctr is awful. That's why Marshalls moved.

2. ALDI is right across the street with infinitely better ingress/egress. And no, I am not too snobby to save 25% on my groceries for the same (or better) quality offered by Kroger/Publix.

Anonymous said...

I’m sad! What i loved about Lidl was it wasn’t crowded like other places.

Anonymous said...

I think that’s what I loved it wasn’t crowded.

Anonymous said...

for every highfalutin snob in Sandy Springs there’s also plenty of hoodwinks with their jeans below their ass that speak less English than the undocumented.

Anonymous said...

I agree... the location probably contributed more to the store closing than other variables. Although I wonder if timing in the market also contributed. TJ and Aldi (Publix and Kroger) may have cemented shoppers' preferences... making it all the more difficult for a new player to compete. I shopped there 2 -3 times per week. Sad to see it go.

Anonymous said...

That's disappointing. Lidl was my go-to place for 90% of my grocery shopping. I liked it much better than Aldi's across the way and even better than the Lidl in Dunwoody. Friendlier and Great selection and prices.

Anonymous said...

Please,, please, please bring in Wegmans! Then you can close Kroger and Publix. TJ has a unique niche and would continue to do well.

Anonymous said...

I didn’t even know that store was there until I drove down that way going south on Roswell Rd and spotted it down in that shopping center. Nice store but entrance and egress was bad so only went there twice. Dunwoody store is terrible in its customer no service where employees can’t even say “thank u and come back again”. Vegetables are in bad shape as well as meat that sits on the shelves a long time. I much prefer the customer service and fresh vegs at Publix. I detest Krogers with its spoiled food and bad customer service. Publix is #1 for a reason.

Anonymous said...

Ingles is a store with 2 isles of junk and gadgets which is not needed and takes up space. Makes the store feel like Home Depot. Remove those isles and fill it with food.
As for the Sandy Springs store, I never knew it was there until I spotted it going South on Roswell Rd. Nice big store but disorganized like all the other Lidls.
Entrance and egress is dangerous so never went back.

Dunwoody store has absolutely no customer service from cashiers who never say a word. No “how are you or thank u for shopping with us”. Lidls needs to train their employees on customer service. Most of the salads are spoiled and meat just sits there for days on end until it spoils. I live a few minutes away from the Dunwoody store and won’t go there anymore. I’ll drive 15 min for Publix.

My go-to is always Publix with their friendliness and fresh foods and bogo sales of items I like and want.

Anonymous said...

2 minutes? LOL. Living in fantasy land if you think those other locations are 2 minutes away!

Anonymous said...

I loved the dunwoody store. I’m so sad.

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