Lidl Opens New ‘Express’ Mini Store

ARLINGTON, Va. – Lidl has opened a 1,000-square-foot "Express" store at its Arlington, Virginia, headquarters. Reporting from Grocery Dive indicates that this is just a one-off store for now, but it could be an important test run as the grocery industry as a whole downsizes and tests smaller stores.

Lidl Express features both perishable and non-perishable goods, including produce, beer and wine. The space was originally reserved for company storage on the ground floor of the building, but the newly converted store serves company employees as well as the public with a newly created entrance. Customers can enjoy a coffee station, breakfast pastries and prepared food. It is self-checkout only, with three distinct stands.

Two years ago, Lidl opened a 36,000-square-foot store model that was larger than its original European concepts. But it didn’t go as planned, and Lidl opened smaller stores at a variety of locations. In December, the company opened a store inside the Staten Island Mall in New York, and in January, it opened its first 25,000-square-foot store in Maryland.

Grocery Dive says that “being able to scale down can help Lidl work its way into crowded markets where real estate is at a premium but foot traffic is high.” As Lidl continues to make its market in the United States, we’ll be keeping an eye on its expansion into the convenience store sector.