Lidl has officially opened its Perryville, MD distribution center, the third grocery warehouse the German-owned discounter is now operating in the U.S. The new regional depot will supply Lidl stores in five states – Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
Plans to build the 700,000 square foot facility were first announced in August 2016, about 10 months before the retailer opened its first U.S. store. The Cecil County DC cost approximately $100 million and will employ 200 associates. It joins other Lidl warehouses currently in operation in Fredericksburg, VA and Mebane, NC. A fourth distribution center is slated to be built in Covington, GA.
“As we work hard to meet the surging needs of our customers during this critical time, we are thrilled to open our newest regional distribution center in Cecil County, MD,” Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl U.S., said in a statement. “The facility will allow us to efficiently deliver our award-winning products to thousands of customers from Maryland to New York and support our expansion across the region. We thank Gov. [Larry] Hogan and local leaders for their tireless support leading up to today.”
Lidl U.S. recently said it will be offering medical benefits to associates enrolled in company insurance plans that will cover testing and treatment related to the COVID-19 at no cost. Lidl U.S. also noted it also provides medical benefits for all full-time and part-time employees, regardless of the number of hours they work per week.
“Maryland is proud to support Lidl’s new regional distribution center, which will create 200 new jobs when they are needed the most and enable the company to more efficiently deliver their high-quality products throughout the region at a time when demand is at an all-time high,” said Hogan, who has been one of the most pro-active politicians nationally in attempting to protect his state’s citizens from suffering the levels of infection witnessed in New York and New Jersey. “We also commend Lidl’s commitment to providing all employees with health insurance as well as COVID-19 testing and treatment, which is critical to fighting this global pandemic,” Hogan added.
The privately held discount retailer is owned by the Schwarz Gruppe and currently operates more than 11,000 stores in 32 countries including almost 100 in nine U.S. states.