Germany-based grocery chain Lidl has moved up its scheduled U.S. store openings, with updated plans calling for the first 20 stores to open this summer.
The initial stores will be spread throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The company’s U.S. headquarters, opened in 2015, is located in Arlington, VA. Lidl’s original plans to enter the U.S. grocery marketplace called for store openings no later than 2018.
According to the company’s website, the company for more than 40 years has grown throughout Europe and today operates 10,000 stores in 27 countries. Lidl touts its stores as offering high quality products at the lowest prices possible while also providing “the most efficient shopping experience possible.”
Lidl is the latest European-based grocer to expand in the U.S. Aldi in recent years has expanded its presence across the country and today operates more than 1,600 stores. Recently, Aldi announced plans to spend $1.6 billion to remodel and expand its 1,300 U.S. stores by 2020. The company is also accelerating its plans to open an additional 650 locations and by the end of 2018, expects to operate nearly 2,000 stores.