EAST COAST, U.S. - We’ve been hearing about German retailer Lidl’s plan to take over U.S. grocery markets for a while now, but the company has been keeping relatively hush-hush about its specific plans for growth thus far. Now, in a recent interview with Business Insider, Lidl outlined plans to open U.S. locations in “dozens” of cities on the East Coast. Specifically, the company cited the area between New Jersey and Georgia as its primary target.

Having already opened its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and new warehouses in Cecil County, Maryland, Mebane, North Carolina, and Fredericksburg, Virginia, it’s no surprise that the East Coast is getting the majority of love from Lidl’s site planners. Lidl has not released a definitive number of new locations as of yet, but Business Insider reports that unnamed sources told real-estate firm CoStar that the company will open as many as 150 U.S. stores just by 2018.

“For over 40 years, Lidl has been a growing presence in the European grocery marketplace,” Lidl’s website shares. “Through 10,000 stores in 26 countries, we’ve precisely designed every part of our process to deliver the highest quality products at the lowest possible price and the most efficient shopping experience possible. Now, we’re bringing our unique vision for grocery to the U.S.”

The typical size for a Lidl US store is small—between 30,000 and 36,000-square-feet, and don’t expect to see several different brands to choose from on the company's shelves. Lidl mainly keeps its inventory to just a limited selection of private-label items. 

The company also keeps prices down by displaying products in its own shipping cartons and requiring customers to bag their own groceries. Lidl translates these decreased merchandising and labor costs to lower costs for its consumers.

While we’re still waiting on opening dates for the new locations and a definitive list on where they will be, there’s no doubt the retailer will be making quite the splash before 2018 is out.

Lidl US