My take: No word yet on Lidl opening

To date, there is no word on when the location will open, although signs indicate summer is the best guess.

Based on past practice, if a store opening were scheduled for the next month, the US operation of the German grocery store giant would make a "coming soon" announcement on its website.

So far, nothing has appeared online, and hiring appears to be complete. There are currently no job openings in Delaware.

After a brief lull, work has resumed in Bear, based on the presence of trucks, cars, and dumpsters around the site off Route 40. Getting things up and running may not be easy since the location has been mothballed for an extended period.

After having the lot striped and cart corrals in place three years ago, the location never opened.

The effects of COVID and drainage issues on the low-lying tract, which once housed a garden center, were cited, although neither is believed to be the main reason for the delay.

As noted earlier, Lidl's rollout in the US was bumpy.

After entering the American market about a decade ago, the company underwent several CEO  changes, laid off corporate staff, and last year closed about a dozen underperforming locations.

Lidl now has about 180 stores on the East Coast and in the Atlanta area.

The emphasis has recently been on New York City and northern New Jersey. The chain recently opened a 30,000-square-foot location in Brooklyn, following the opening of two others in North Jersey.

As part of its reboot, Lidl has introduced a private-label brand of meat and poultry, updated its bakery offerings, and launched a marketing campaign proclaiming itself the "Super-est" market.

Unlike its German rival, Aldi, Lidl features an in-store bakery and dedicates more refrigerated cases to meat, seafood, and poultry. It also lacks Aldi's quirky 25-cent shopping cart feature. (You get the quarter back when the cart is returned).

Lidl also has a larger section of merchandise that can range from garden tools to clothing and even an ice “plunge bath tub.” At German rival Aldi, the section is known as the “Aisle of Shame.” 

Lidl has a long way to go before it can become a majort rival to Aldi in the US.

Aldi has 2,400 stores nationwide and about a dozen in Delaware, compared to two for Lidl. Aldi  acquired Winn-Dixie locations in the southern US, sold off some stores, and is converting others to the Aldi format. - Doug Rainey, chief content officer.