LIDL opens first construction sites and gets ready to create web of discount stores

LIDL giant, fighting with Aldi for the leading position on the
European discounter stores market, announced it started
construction works on its first stores in Romania. With 25 plots of
land readied as construction sites, the Germans will reach all
regions. The retailer has 25 plots of land prepared for the first
LIDL stores, according to the local authorities, besides the 100
Plus stores it took over early this year from Tengelmann group. The
German group has so far added over 70m euros to the share capital
of its Romanian subsidiary, LIDL Romania, and most cities where it
got urban planning certificates or construction permits have less
than 100,000 inhabitants. “We can confirm we started building the
first stores and the logistic centre on the Romanian market. We
haven’t set the date for the first openings, but we can say they
will not happen in 2010,” stated LIDL Romania representatives. The
network will most likely be launched domestically next year. The
completion of the central warehouse of Chiajna (near Bucharest),
set to supply LIDL stores, and of the 25 projects is likely to
entail investments worth above 50m euros.