Scuttlebutt Confirmed – New Grocery Store Coming to DCUSA in Columbia Heights

Back in September we posted some scuttlebutt about rumblings that a grocery store may be interested in the vacant space(s) in DCUSA (14th Street, NW between Park and Monroe.) Turns out it will be a Lidl!

Ed. Note: A Lidl is also coming to Skyland Town Center in Ward 7.

From a press release:

“Today, the Bowser Administration and leaders from Lidl Food Market announced their expansion in the District by opening a second DC location in Columbia Heights. The store will be Lidl’s first in Northwest DC and follows Lidl’s project to open a supermarket East of the River at the Skyland development by the end of 2022. The future Lidl grocery store will be located at 3100 14th Street N.W., part of the DC USA retail complex.

The new Lidl location will be approximately 27,000 square feet, on a ground floor space with the main entrance to the store located at the primary entrance to the complex on 14th St. NW. DC USA, which opened in 2008, is the largest retail development in the District of Columbia. The pedestrian-oriented complex primarily serves Columbia Heights, Adam’s Morgan, and Mt. Pleasant, adjacent to the Columbia Heights Metro Station.

“For years, the District has been working hard to bring additional quality retailers. That effort continues to yield results,” said Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio. “I am pleased that Lidl has decided to establish not only one but two locations in the District of Columbia.”

“We are excited to have LIDL joining the dynamic tenant mix at DC USA – the District of Columbia’s largest and most accessible retail complex,” added Drew Greenwald, a principal of Grid Properties, part of the team which developed and manages DC USA.

Lidl Food Market’s expansion is a result of Mayor Bowser’s efforts to expand food access, create new employment opportunities, and stimulate economic development in all eight wards of the District. These efforts include the continued promotion of investment opportunities to retail and grocery tenants through DMPED and the Washington DC Economic Partnership’s (WDCEP) retail attraction initiatives. DMPED and WDCEP first met with Lidl representatives in 2014 and continues to provide Lidl with market intelligence, expansion strategies, and information on opportunities that DC’s neighborhoods provide. Since 2000, DC’s retail attraction efforts – including its annual visit to ICSC Las Vegas – have produced more than 300 stores and restaurants opening, creating nearly 15,000 jobs and more than $116 million in annual sales tax revenue.

In the last year, Mayor Bowser has launched several efforts to attract grocer tenants. She recently created a $58 million Food Access Fund, supporting existing DC entrepreneurs to expand their businesses East of the River. Furthermore, she changed the Supermarket Tax Credit to focus eligibility on areas most in need of grocery stores, expanded support to more fresh food retailers, and added community engagement requirements for grocers. Additional food access efforts include the Nourish DC Collaborative created to provide flexible loans, catalytic grants, and technical assistance to emerging and existing locally-owned small food businesses in the District.

“On behalf of my colleagues at Lidl U.S., I am thrilled to announce that we are bringing a new Lidl store to NW DC and the Columbia Heights neighborhood,” said Daniel Goodman, Lidl U.S. Director of Real Estate. “This new store, along with our project under construction at Skyland Town Center, are steps towards achieving our goal of conveniently bringing Lidl’s high-quality offerings and unbeatable pricing to the D.C. community. Thank you to the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and their teams, as well as our landlord, the management team at DC USA, for your support in welcoming Lidl to Washington, D.C.”

Lidl, ranked a top 3 U.S. Supermarket by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, established its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, in 2015 and today operates more than 20 stores around the D.C. area in Maryland and Virginia. Lidl offers an assortment of fresh, high-quality products, including produce, a fresh bakery, beef, poultry, and fish, as well as a wide array of non-food household products that drop in stores weekly. Lidl’s private label products have received more than 500 awards and its shopping experience was recognized by Food & Wine Magazine in its top 10 U.S. supermarket rankings in back-to-back editions.”