Discount grocer opening 2 new NJ stores

The expansion plans of Lidl, the German discount grocer, continue in New Jersey with the opening of two new stores this week, and more planned.

The two newest stores are in Belleville and Garwood. Once they’re open, Lidl will have 20 locations in the state with several others in the planning stage. There will be special giveaways at both new stores in conjunction with their grand openings, Aug. 11 for Garwood, and Aug. 18 for Belleville.

According to Patch.com, "We welcome Lidl to Belleville with open arms, as we continually recruit top service businesses for the direct benefit of our residents,"(Belleville) Mayor Michael Melham said. Both new stores will be open 8 AM-9 PM Sunday through Monday.

Lidl earlier announced plans to open at least 10 new stores in New Jersey before the end of the year, with a total of 50 planned for the East Coast at a cost of $500 million. Locations in Glassboro and Woodbridge opened this year among others, and new stores recently got zoning approval in both Parsippany and East Brunswick.

Worldwide, Lidl has over 11,000 stores, with just over 100 in the US; its German competitor, Aldi, has 10,000 stores overall with a much larger footprint in the United States at 2,000 stores.

The battle for New Jersey’s grocery store dollars continues to rage on as Lidl, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and others chase the market leaders like Stop and Shop, Shop Rite, and Acme. Amazon Fresh is also opening two new stores in New Jersey.

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