Work has begun on the 5.4-acre site that German grocery chain Lidl purchased last November at the intersection of Piedmont Drive and Piedmont Place.
A building permit to construct a 36,000-square-foot grocery store was issued last week.
Lidl was founded in Germany in 1930 and has grown to include more than 10,000 stores across Europe. The company announced its intention of expanding into the United States last year and opened its U.S. headquarters in Arlington.
Company officials will not say when the Danville store is scheduled to open. Despite steps toward construction underway, spokesperson Aaron Kendeall said Wednesday that opening dates have still not been set for individual stores.
The discount grocery chain is similar to its rival chain in both Europe and the U.S. — Aldi — where customers bag their own groceries and other cost-cutting measures are taken to keep prices as low as possible.
Lidl’s new store in Danville will be more than twice the size of the local Aldi, which is about 16,500 square feet.
Denice Thibodeau is a reporter for the Danville Register & Bee. Contact her at dthibodeau@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7985.