Is the 'Zombie Lidl' in Bear finally planning to open, after sitting for two years?
A long-delayed Lidl in Bear looks like it may be moving forward after all.
Perhaps you've seen it there. For around two years, an apparently fully constructed Lidl store at 1604 Pulaski Highway has looked a bit like a movie set, or a daydreaming child: The lights are on, but nobody's home.
Lidl is a German discount grocery chain that expanded rapidly across the United States since entering the market in 2017, but has stalled at around 170 locations since 2020. The chain has seen its share of tumult, with a revolving door of five United States CEOs over eight years. Multiple proposed stores in the region, as well as a Pennsylvania distribution center, were also delayed last year.
The chain has two stores in Delaware, one in Dover and one in Middletown — even as its closest competitor, German discount supermarket Aldi, continues its brisk expansion with a tenth Delaware location potentially in the works.
But three Delaware locations didn't turn out to be the charm for Lidl. The store on Route 40 in Bear turned into a bit of a local curiosity, after construction appeared to be complete by early 2022. The store has since sat un-opened, idly presiding over an empty lot that will likely also be home to a Taco Bell, as reported in January by Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Lidl initially blamed pandemic-era supply chain issues for the delay in opening the Bear store. But a more pressing issue seemed to be drainage.
In fall of 2022, a New Castle County civil engineer found that Lidl's stormwater management facility didn't perform to standard, documenting pools of water and signs of erosion near the store, a costly fix that has left the store in limbo.
For more than a year, all permitting activity ceased. Lidl company officials declined to comment on opening dates, nor much else.
But county records now show signs of life.
Lidl unloaded the adjacent site last month to Pennsylvania Taco Bell franchiser Summerwood Corp. for $2.1 million, the Delaware Business Times reported last month. That same franchiser, Summerwood, is carrying out plans to demolish and rebuild a Taco Bell at Chestnut Hill Plaza in Newark this year.
Lidl also filed county paperwork at the end of March to remedy the stormwater problems outlined in county inspections of the Bear Lidl store. Engineers for Lidl said they plan to bring in excavators to remove the topsoil, and then the stone, and will "rescarify" the subgrade on the site.
In plainer language, this means they'll re-till the deep soil and remove rocks so the land will drain better, and hopefully stop forming those pools of water that troubled county inspectors.
Lidl spokespeople aren't yet willing to commit to a new projected opening date for the store. However, they confirmed that they remain "excited about coming to the Bear community."
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What's happening with the Lidl store in Bear?
