Lidl US opens its first Express format | Progresiv
The discounter opened its first convenience-style store at its Arlington headquarters in Washington. It’s called Lidl Express and is the smallest store ever opened by the retailer, globally. 
The 100 sq m store, opened on the 26 March on the ground floor of the discounter’s US headquarters. It is open to the public but is primarily aimed at providing the head office’s employees with the discounter’s products.
It offers a selection of food-to-go solutions, including fresh bakery products and coffee. The store also has a range of grocery items for quick shopping, such as fresh produce and wine. There is no plan to build other Express stores, but this shows how adaptative Lidl can be in terms of formats development.
In March 2019, Lidl US appointed Roman Heini as its new chairman. Heini was Aldi UK’s joint managing director from 2010 to 2014. This is the latest strategic recruitment after the appointment, as CEO, of Johannes Fieber, former Lidl Sweden CEO.
Lidl’s expansion in the US has been slower than expected, since it entered the market in 2017. The objective of 100 store openings in the first year has not been met and stores’ size have had to be reduced to meet shoppers’ expectations. To accelerate its development plans, Lidl acquired 27 Best Market stores in the end of 2018.
Lidl currently operates 67 stores (although this does not include the 27 Best Market stores) on the East Coast, with stores having an average size of 2,000 sq m. (retailanalysis.igd.com)
