International grocery store chain to close CSRA location this weekend

Jennifer Sparling has been a loyal Lidl shopper ever since the grocery store location opened in North Augusta in Sept. 2017. But now that the German retailer has announced it will close that location on Sunday, Sparling isn’t sure where she plans to buy coffee, bread, and other staples for her family.

The store is located at 417 East Martintown Road.

“I’ve always been a proponent of frugal living, so I love their reasonable prices, and they’ve helped to keep me and my family fed without struggle,” Sparling said.

She said Lidl’s lower prices have been particularly helpful as food costs have steadily increased.

“Their prices increased some, and I’ve had to change the products I’ve bought here and there, but it’s been a big part of my weekly routine in the few years this location has been there,” Sparling said.

ABD contacted the company regarding its decision to close the store.

Lidl closing signs on the store windows.

“This was an underperforming location, and we made the strategic decision to close it so we can focus on the locations that are closer and more convenient to more of our customers and where we are seeing significant growth,” said Lidl US’s Senior Manager of Communications & Public Relations, Chandler Spivey. “We are offering all employees a position at another Lidl store and are working closely with them on the transition.”

North Augusta is also home to many grocery stores, including Kroger, Publix, and ALDI, which are all located within one mile of Lidl, and competition with these other chains likely contributed to the store’s underperformance.

According to the company’s website, Lidl has locations in 32 countries and more than 341,000 employees worldwide. Besides North Augusta, the CSRA currently has one other location, which is on Alexander Drive in Augusta. The company also plans to build a new location across the street from Publix on Washington Road in Evans.

In 2017, a proposal for an Aiken location was drafted, but so far, no store has been built there, and a representative with the Aiken Chamber of Commerce said she isn’t aware of any plans to build one.

As for Sparling, she loves the North Augusta Lidl, where she has bought other items besides groceries, including a cast iron pan and dog toys, and doesn’t want to start shopping at the Augusta location.

“It’s a pretty major upset for me and will take a lot of adjusting when they’re no longer there,” Sparling said.

For more information, visit lidl.com/.

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