Lidl could open in weeks; work continues at Aldi

UPDATE: It’s official. WRAL reports that the Sanford store – as well as locations in Greenville, Rocky Mount, Kinston, and Winston Salem – will open on June 15.

The opening date for German grocery chain Lidl’s first U.S. stores has been announced — June 15. Maddeningly, it remains unknown whether the Sanford store — which has been under construction since late 2016 — is among those that will be open for business in a matter of weeks.

Sanford’s store is, however, on the company’s list of its first 20 stores and is slated to open “this summer.”

The store’s arrival is more than “just another grocery store.” Lidl (pronounced “LEE-duhl”) has made waves in the industry by promising prices “up to 50 percent less” than its competitors, according to supermarketnews.com. Much of the store’s stock will apparently consist of “private label” products, like what you’d find at Trader Joe’s or Aldi.

Speaking of Aldi, the other European discount grocery chain coming to town: While construction on the actual building doesn’t seem to have commenced, there appears to have been significant progress grading the tract of land on which Aldi will sit. While the Aldi coming our way appears to be fairly small in terms of grocery stores, you probably wouldn’t have thought any kind of supermarket could go in that spot six months ago.

Well, you were wrong.

Anyway, you’re going to have some new places to trade your hard-earned wealth for caloric sustenance very shortly. Let the celebrations begin.