Lidl may land in Kroger country

Lidl is looking to open stores in The Kroger Co.’s backyard, according to a report in the Cincinnati Business Courier.

Germany-based Lidl, which has 10,000 stores in 27 countries and has been called a cross between Aldi and Trader Joe’s, has been scouting numerous locations in the Cincinnati area to open stores. Kroger, which opened in Cincinnati in 1883, has been a mainstay in the area and now operates 2,800 stores in 35 states under two dozen banners with annual sales of more than $115.3 billion.

Lidl has established U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va. It plans to open 100 stores across the East Coast by mid 2018. The first stores will open in this summer in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Lidl, like its German counterpart Aldi, offers an array of private brands. The retailer says on its website that its goal is to “build up brand ranges allowing items to be easily recognized and provide the customer with Lidl brand reassurance. Our private label items meet or exceed the quality of the equivalent national brand item.”

According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, which cited multiple real estate sources, Lidl is also looking at sites in Dayton, Ohio. The Courier reported that Lidl confirmed it has started looking at sites in Ohio.

“It does show some confidence that they’re willing to do this in Kroger’s backyard,” Rick Shea, who tracks the food retailing business as president of Minneapolis-based Shea Food Consultants, told the Courier.

Lidl is looking for 4-acre sites to house 36,000-square-foot stores, much smaller than Kroger stores, according to the report.