Lidl Discount Grocery Taking Over Parsippany Foodtown: What We Know

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Over two years ago, the Parsippany Planning Board approved Lidl's application to take over the family-owned Super Foodtown supermarket, leaving residents wondering when the shift would take place.

Lidl, the European grocery giant that has expanded in the United States over the last few years, has purchased the 30,600-square-foot Super Foodtown property on North Beverwyck Road.

Lidl US Operations LLC acquired the building from Holly Gardens LLC, the property owner, which currently leases it to Super Foodtown. The transaction, finalized in March 2022, involved the purchase of the site for almost $7 million, as indicated by property records.

Even though Lidl has finalized the purchase and now owns the building, Roberto Laracca, who operates the store as a family business within the Foodtown cooperative grocery chain, informed Patch that the transition will not occur in 2024.

In April 2023, Laracca had told Patch that Foodtown still had one year left on their lease. In a follow-up conversation on Wednesday, Laracca said that they have no plans to close before the end of December this year.

This would mean that Lidl would not open up until sometime in 2025.

According to proposals submitted to the town's planning board, Lidl representatives stated that the existing structure would be demolished, with a new 31,000-square-foot building slated for construction in its place.

Previously, Lidl's attorney, John Wyciskala, mentioned that, despite being aware of petitions against the redevelopment, the company remained optimistic about the site's future. He expressed confidence in North Beverwyck Road as an excellent location for the company's expansion.

The company did not promptly respond to inquiries regarding a potential timeline for upcoming construction.

Lidl, a global discount supermarket chain, was founded in 1973 and now operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States, making it one of the largest retailers in the world.

Lidl is noted for its no-frills approach to retailing, with a small variety of private-label products at affordable rates. The company focuses on efficiency and cost-saving measures to provide customers with high-quality goods at affordable prices.

In recent years, Lidl has expanded aggressively into new markets, including the United States, where it opened its first stores in 2017.