Lidl looks to open seventh Long Island location

Elliot Weld
The grocery store location at 2475 Jericho Turnpike is set to be converted into a Lidl. (Photo by Elliot Weld)

Plans have been submitted to the Town of North Hempstead to convert the grocery store location at 2475 Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park into a Lidl grocery store. The location last housed a now-closed Super Fresh.

The new location will be the company’s third in Nassau County and the seventh on Long Island. The closest store is in East Meadow.

The opening date of the Lidl is undetermined. North Hempstead Councilman Angelo Ferrara, who represents Garden City Park, said no contract has been signed by the company with the shopping center. The building plans are currently being reviewed, according to Ferrara. He said the opening of the store is still “many months out.”

Gordon Tepper, the town director of communications, said the submitted plans were incomplete. The town sent an omission letter to the applicant and is awaiting a response.

The German grocer company’s website says it puts an emphasis on efficiency, saying that shoppers can get in and out of the stores faster and with lower prices because of the layout and product selection.

“You’re busy. We get it. That’s why we’re masters of store efficiency. All our stores have the same intuitive layout, making it easier for you to find what you need quickly,” the website says.

It goes on to say that instead of offering “a myriad of brands in every category” the stores  have a more limited selection with better quality and lower prices so customers don’t have to spend as much time “sifting through endless versions of products you don’t want.”

“Lidl is not your regular supermarket. They have many house brands that they use to keep their pricing competitive,” said Mineola Chamber of Commerce President Joel Harris.

Harris also said that customers have to bring their own bags to the store, as it does not provide any. The company website says this helps to bring prices down because the costs of bags are not built into food prices as well as saving time at checkout and reducing waste.

For years the location housed a Waldbaum’s grocery store, which closed in 2015 when the company began closing all of its store locations. Harris said Waldbaum’s has been missed on Long Island and that the chain had many loyal customers.

 

Share this Article