German grocery chain picks Wilson for one its first U.S. stores
WILSON – A German discount grocery chain, Lidl, expanding in the U.S. is seeking approval to build one of its first stores in Wilson.
Borough council will discuss a conditional use request Monday night from Lidl US LLC to build a 36,000-square-foot store grocery store at the South 25th Street-Freemansburg Avenue corridor, which already is home to two other chain grocery stores.
The proposed site for the store at 1120 S. 25th St. is zoned general industrial.
Lidl spokesman Will Harwood declined to elaborate on the company's plans in Wilson, but said the company plans to open stores in several mid-Atlantic states "no later than 2018."
"We're actively pursuing sites throughout [Pennsylvania], Harwood said Wednesday. "We haven't made any announcements about stores."
The property is owned by Victor Balata Belting Co., which also leases a portion of land on Freemansburg Avenue to a J.D. Byrider used car lot.
Tim O'Neill, president of Victor Balata, said Lidl approached him about putting in a store. He said Lidl would take about 2 acres, and plans filed with Wilson show the store set off South 25th Street, with entrances on both South 25th and Freemansburg Avenue. The store would be next to a bike path, said Paul Corriere, the borough's code enforcement officer.
"The old factory is larger than what we need," said O'Neill, whose company employs about 15 and makes products for the U.S. Department of Defense.
He said the company sold land years ago across South 25th Street in neighboring Palmer Township that has been home to an Aldi's grocery store. Lidl would be directly across Aldi on South 25th Street and a few blocks from the Giant Food Store in the Palmer Town Centre.
Corriere said if Lidl gets all approvals, the company has indicated construction would start next year.
In addition to Wilson, Lidl's plans need reviews by other municipal agencies, including the Easton Suburban Water Authority, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and the state Department of Transportation, Corriere said. Both Freemansburg Avenue and South 25th Street are state routes.
This marks the second Lehigh Valley location Lidl is considering.. Whitehall Township Mayor Ed Hozza Jr. said recently Lidl plans to open a store at 2845 MacArthur Road, on a portion of the vacant property next to Gilboy Ford.
Harwood said Lidl has about 10,000 stores in 26 countries; the U.S. would be its 27th. He said shoppers can find a variety of store and national brands, as well as fresh meat and produce, bakery items and household goods.
Lidl plans to open regional headquarters and distribution centers in Virginia and North Carolina, Harwood said. The company has broken ground for the Virginia facility, which is near Fredericksburg.
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