LIDL has replaced a closed Rite Aid store following the chain’s damaging bankruptcy, which resulted in hundreds of shuttered locations in the US.
The store is located in Wilmington, Delaware, and is expected to open back up as a Lidl in 2026.
Lidl is replacing a Rite Aid store in Wilmington, Delaware[/caption]
Rite Aid‘s second bankruptcy in two years has led to over 1,000 announced closures.
The pharmacy chain vacated the space in Delaware in July, located in the Brandywine Hundred shopping center, which is north of Wilmington.
Eric Davidson, senior manager of communications for Regency Centers, which owns Brandywine Hundred, praised Lidl as a perfect tenant for the location.
He said in a statement: “Lidl is a fantastic operator and presented a great opportunity when Rite Aid vacated the space.
“It is highly accessible both by design and by location, and just a great neighborhood center.”
Rite Aid has been through several rounds of closures since its bankruptcy filing in October 2023.
In a May court filing, Rite Aid said that it would close or sell off all of its 1,200 stores.
In its most recent update on June 27, Rite Aid listed 123 stores in eight states that would be shut down.
This announcement brought the total number of stores to 1,070 that would either be closed or sold.
STATE BY STATE
States including California, Pennsylvania, and New York have seen the most closures so far, which has left few behind.
In California, nearly 200 Rite Aid stores have been shut down or are in the process of liquidation.
In Delaware, the state that is welcoming the new Lidl, Rite Aid currently has 29 stores, according to Newsweek.
There are a few states in the US that have a single-digit number of Rite Aid stores left.
This includes Idaho with eight, Vermont with five, and Massachusetts and Ohio with four each.
Number of Rite Aid stores left by state
- 347 stores in California
- 345 stores in Pennsylvania
- 178 stores in New York
- 95 stores in Washington
- 60 stores in New Jersey
- 48 stores in New Hampshire
- 48 stores in Oregon
- 31 stores in Virginia
- 29 stores in Delaware
- 23 stores in Maryland
- 15 stores in Connecticut
- 8 stores in Idaho
- 5 stores in Vermont
- 4 stores in Massachusetts
- 4 stores in Ohio
LIDL BIT OF GROWTH
Back in May, Lidl announced that it planned to open 225 new stores by the end of the year.
As a part of this plan, a few stores have opened recently, including in Freehold, New Jersey, on May 9.
Another two stores opened in Hackensack, New Jersey and Bethesda, Maryland, on July 30.
On August 1, another Lidl opened in New York City’s Lower East Side neighborhood.
And less than two weeks later, on August 13, a Lidl opened up in Bowie, Maryland.
Shoppers can expect new deals to drop every Wednesday as part of the chain’s bargain aisle sales.
Rite Aid’s second bankruptcy in two years has announced over 1,000 locations for closure[/caption]
