At the opening of Lidl on the Lower East Side

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Lidl opened its long-anticipated Lower East Side location on Friday, drawing lines as early as 6:30 a.m. for the official 8 a.m. opening. 

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, held at 7:40 a.m., marked the German supermarket chain's continued expansion into Manhattan (there's an outpost in Harlem that opened in 2022 with one planned for Chelsea), bringing its global store count to over 12,000, with more than 185 in the eastern part of the U.S.

The 23,000-square-foot space — formerly a Rite Aid — is located at the corner of Grand and Clinton streets, in a building owned by the affordable housing nonprofit Grand Street Guild. Lidl signed a lease for the property last summer. 

Opening day was as busy as you'd expect, with long lines at the entrance, free coffee and donuts for departing shoppers, and a DJ playing music near a union protest with an array of large inflatable rats outside the store. 

A union representative said the demonstration — limited to the morning hours — was meant to raise awareness about labor concerns, stating, "We don't want [people] to go without food, but we do want them to think about fair labor practices."

Inside, the store offered wide aisles, a mix of self-checkout stations and staffed registers, and a particularly PACKED bakery section, which included Lidl's well-known 49-cent butter croissants, flown in from Europe and baked in-store.

Lidl introduced two limited-time baked goods for the LES launch — a cinnamon raisin New York-style bagel and a banana nut muffin — as part of a rotating "Special Guest" bakery feature. 

Other offerings include a private-label meat line under the "Butcher's Specialty" brand, with items such as USDA Choice beef, organic and grass-fed options, and antibiotic-free chicken. The seafood section looked solid as well.

The eggs and dairy aisle drew a crowd as well. Eggs start at $3.75 a dozen, while a gallon of milk is $2.97.

Here are a few more scenes from opening day...

Lidl is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Lower East Side Lidl opens on Aug. 1

Photo last month by Stacie Joy 

Lidl will open its long-awaited Lower East Side food market on Aug. 1, the company has announced, bringing the German supermarket giant's global footprint of over 12,000 stores to 408 Grand St. at Clinton. 

The company signed a lease last summer for the 23,000 square-foot space — formerly a Rite Aid — on property owned by the affordable housing nonprofit Grand Street Guild. 

Here's what to expect on Day 1, as per the Lidl U.S. website: 

Are you ready for fresh, high-quality groceries at incredibly low prices? The moment you’ve been waiting for is almost here! 

We're excited to announce the grand opening for our newest New York location is Friday, Aug. 1. Score free samples, Lidl swag and more! Come early — the first 100 customers in line will get Lidl gift cards ranging from $5-$100. 

The grocery's initial hours are daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

There are several outposts of the discount grocery stores around NYC, including in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island ... with a location also slated for Chelsea. 

H/T EVG reader Patrick!

On the clock: Lower East Side Lidl Watch

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Lidl outpost is looking closer to opening at 408 Grand St. (at Clinton) on the Lower East Side.

Larger COMING SOON signage is up for this "Super-est Market" with a big fan following...

News arrived last August that the German supermarket chain with 12,000 stores worldwide was opening a branch here. For now, the company hasn't announced an opening date — only that it will be in Summer 2025.

Lidl US signed the lease for the 23,000-square-foot space — previously a Rite Aid — on property owned by the affordable housing nonprofit Grand Street Guild. 

There are several Lidl outposts around NYC, including in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island ... with a location also slated for Chelsea. 

This article tells you what you can expect from a Lidl.

Lidl watch for 2025

Here's a build-out people will likely be watching in the New Year. 

As reported in late August, Lidl, the German supermarket chain with 12,000 stores worldwide, is opening a branch on Grand and Clinton on the Lower East Side next summer. 

The coming soon sign is up, as the top photo shows. (Thanks to Roger Bultot for the first two photos in this post.) 

Lidl US signed the lease for the 23,000-square-foot space at 408 Grand St. (previously a Rite Aid) on property owned by the affordable housing nonprofit Grand Street Guild.

Here's a look inside the gutted storefront going back to October (pic by Stacie Joy)...

There are several Lidl outposts around NYC, including Queens and Staten Island. When the Grand Street grocery opens, it will be the third in Manhattan. There's one in Harlem now, with a location slated for Chelsea. 

This article tells you what you can expect from a Lidl.

German supermarket powerhouse Lidl is opening an outpost on the Lower East Side

Lidl, the German supermarket chain with 12,000 stores worldwide, is opening a branch on Grand and Clinton on the Lower East Side. 

On Thursday, Lidl US officially announced that it had agreed on lease terms with affordable housing nonprofit Grand Street Guild for the 23,000-square-foot space at 408 Grand St. that previously housed a Rite Aid. (There were rumors of this pending arrival earlier last week, per the East of the Bowery Instagram account.)

There are several Lidl outposts around NYC, including Queens and Staten Island. When the Grand Street grocery opens next summer, it will be the third in Manhattan. There's one in Harlem now, with a location opening in Chelsea. (And more groceries are on the way.) 

Lidl US first arrived in Virginia in June 2015. The U.S. expansion hasn't been smooth, per a June 24 post on Grocery Dive: 

Renowned across Europe for the potent mix of low prices and high-quality goods that defines its thousands of colorful stores, Lidl arrived stateside with deep pockets, a highly developed private label strategy and a disciplined focus on efficiently running a complex business in a highly competitive environment. 

But instead of steadily growing its U.S. footprint as it had originally intended, Lidl US has moved ahead in fits and starts, prompting questions about why its value-focused business model has trouble gaining traction on American soil.

This retail space is on the other side of Grand and Clinton from Target, which opened in August 2018. (And yes — there's a Trader Joe's nearby too.)