Lidl, a German supermarket company that is rapidly expanding around the East Coast, is set to begin construction on its fourth Montgomery County store in downtown Bethesda, with an expected opening later in 2024.
“We anticipate opening our Bethesda store later this year and we are excited to bring our signature high-quality products, at low prices to the community,” Aimee Campbell, a Lidl U.S. spokesperson, said Tuesday. “Customers can look forward to unique specialty items such as cheeses and meats, award-winning private label products, and fresh breads and pastries baked throughout the day from our bakery.”
The 43,227-square-foot supermarket will replace the former Safeway at Bethesda Place Apartments, a mixed-use apartment building at 7625 Old Georgetown Road. After 27 years in Bethesda, the Safeway closed in March 2018 due to underperformance, MoCo360 reported at the time.
An exact date for the opening has not been set and Campbell did not share any information about construction plans.
This month the county approved a commercial building permit for Lidl Grocery for a $3.28 million rebuild of the former Safeway, according to the Montgomery Newsletter. Local blogger Robert Dyer reported Feb. 22 that a construction permit for Lidl had been posted at the site.
Lidl is known for selling nearly 80% of products from private labels, its bring-your-own-bag policy and stocking shelves with items still in the box as a means to save time and money, according to the Lidl website. The store also partners with local and regional farms and imports foods from Europe. In addition to food, Lidl sells clothing, home decor, kitchen gadgets and more.
The company also has stores in Takoma Park, Wheaton and Montgomery Village, among the 20 it operates in Maryland and a total of 150 on the East Coast.