After speeding up its initial U.S. launch to this summer on the East Coast, media reports have Lidl eyeing targets farther west, such as Pittsburgh and into Ohio.
The German discounter previously showed interest in the Texas market back in October, according to media reports, but city planning documents for the Houston suburb of Conroe, Texas, show those plans may be more concrete.
The Houston Chronicle reported that the chain is going through the permitting process with the city of Conroe, including requesting variances for alcohol permits for a 36,000 square foot store “expected to be opened toward the end of this year or early next year.”
A Lidl spokesperson told the paper that plans are focused on the East Coast right now.
Lidl, whose U.S. headquarters is in Arlington, Va., sped up plans for its U.S. launch from early spring of 2018 to this summer. The first 20 in a wave of 100 stores planned to open by the end of the year are expected in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina this summer.