DeKalb approves new Lidl grocery store on Memorial Drive

The company plans to demolish a vacant Pizza Hut location for the new grocery store, which will also take up part of the large parking lot at the shopping center. The rest of the buildings in the complex, which house a gym, an AutoZone and the all-girls Ivy Preparatory Academy, will remain. Ivy Prep currently owns the land and plans to sell it to Lidl, a lawyer for the grocer told the commission.

Chandler Ebeier, a spokesperson for Lidl, said it is too early to say when the grocery store might be constructed, but confirmed the company does intend to open the location.

Commissioner Larry Johnson, whose district includes the planned Lidl site, thanked the company for its plans to “bring a quality grocery store to our community.” Currently, the closest large supermarket to the shopping center is a Publix in East Lake almost two miles away. In 2015, the neighborhood was identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a low-income area where a substantial number of residents do not have easy access to a supermarket.

Lidl, which rhymes with needle, has more than 10,500 stores in 29 countries. Based in Germany, it is known for offering a wide range of discounted goods. In metro Atlanta, it has stores in Mableton, Austell and Snellville, and got approval last year to open another in Marietta.

The company announced plans recently to build a 925,000-square-foot regional distribution center in Covington. Lidl US Chairman Roman Heini said the new facility allows the company to "expand our network of stores across the region."

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