With grocery stores experiencing record sales, one grocer is gearing up to open the first of several stores it has planned for metro Atlanta in the coming months. Lidl plans to open its new Peachtree Corners store Wednesday, May 13 at 5270 Peachtree Parkway, just south of the new Peachtree Corners Town Center and The Forum. The store, which ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported was coming last year, opens in place of Earth Fare, which exited the market and later closed all of its stores. The 23,500 square foot store was completely renovated to accommodate the new grocer and while smaller than its other Atlanta area stores which all measure 36,000 square feet, sources close to the company tell ToNeTo Atlanta that it will still offer all the amenities of the larger stores including fresh bakery and self check-out.
Unlike previous store openings, there will be no ribbon cutting or other "grand opening celebration" in order to avoid unnecessary crowds, according to a company release. The store will open much like its other stores and other grocers have already with practices in place to try and protect customers and workers from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. The store will limit the number of shoppers to five per 1,000 square feet. An employee will manage the number of people inside and direct people to safely form a socially distanced line outside when the limit is reached. Protective barriers will be in place at checkout counters to protect cashiers and customers. The store also encourages contactless payment, which discourages the use of cash.
In addition to the opening in Peachtree Corners, Lidl plans to open new stores in Suwanee, Lawrenceville, Brookhaven (Briarcliff & North Druid Hills), Jonesboro and Dunwoody later this summer.
The upcoming store in Suwanee, currently on target to open Wednesday, May 20, will be the Germany-based chain's 100th store in the U.S. (The grocer opened its first U.S. stores in 2017, and while well behind their original growth projections, has in recent months accelerated its growth efforts.) The 29,000 square foot store is located at 2985 Peachtree Parkway and was built from scratch for the grocer. The Lawrenceville store, at 3530 Sugarloaf Parkway, was also built from scratch and is currently projected to open in June.
The Brookhaven store, opening in place of The Fresh Market in Brighten Park, is slated to open in July, followed by new stores in Jonesboro and Dunwoody in August.
Several other stores, including those planned for Sandy Springs, East Cobb, Marietta and Woodstock, among others, are slated to open in late 2020 and into 2021.
Have you visited one of the existing Atlanta area Lidl stores? Do you prefer Lidl or Aldi? Have you adjusted your primary grocer or frequency in light of the COVID-19 pandemic?
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