Photo: Madison International Realty
July 19, 2022 By Czarinna Andres
A well-known shoe retailer is closing at the Queens Place Mall, and it will be replaced by an international grocery store.
DSW, which is currently a flagship store along with Target at the 88-01 Queens Blvd mall in Elmhurst, is slated to close next month, with the company’s lease ending. Lidl, a German discount grocery chain, is moving into the space—and is anticipated to open during the first quarter of 2024.
Lidl has signed a long-term lease for the 35,000 square foot space at Queens Place Mall. The grocery store will occupy the entire lower level of the 440,000-square-foot neighborhood mall that first opened in 1965.
The store will be Lidl’s second in Queens, having opened a location in Astoria in April 2021. The company also has New York City locations in Staten Island and Harlem.
The company is best known for offering American products, as well as European specialty items ranging from hard-to-find cheeses to authentic specialty sauces, cured meats and more.
“We are very excited to welcome Lidl, an internationally recognized grocery store operator, to our tenant roster and provide the community with what we believe is a new, convenient and affordable alternative for fresh food and grocery items,” said Ehud Kupperman, Director for Madison International Realty, which owns the mall.
“This latest addition to the mall continues our approach of bringing retailers that serve daily needs to our shopping centers and expanding our mix of retail offerings.”
Lidl operates around 11,550 stores around the world and is active in 32 countries. The company employs more than 341,000 people globally.
Lidl offers fresh produce, meat, bakery items and a wide array of household products at discounted prices. Lidl first established its U.S. headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in June 2015, and today sells its products in more than 150 stores across nine east coast states.
The announcement that Lidl is opening at Queens Place was welcomed by local business leaders and elected officials.
“On behalf of the oldest and largest business association in Queens, it is my pleasure to congratulate Madison International Realty on adding this globally-recognized company to their tenant roster, and Lidl on opening a second location in the ‘World’s Borough,” said Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. viewed Lidl’s opening as good news for the borough.
“Lidl is well-known for its good-paying jobs, affordable prices, and its diverse, healthy and high-quality food offerings, so we are very excited that the company will be opening a second store here in Queens,“ Richards said. “Lidl’s Astoria location has been a big hit with shoppers, and we are looking forward to the same kind of success as the company branches into Elmhurst in service of central Queens families.”
The Lidl store at 19-30 37th St. in Astoria that opened in April 2021 (Photo: Christina Santucci/Queens Post)
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I remember when that building was a Korvette’s Dept store back in the 70’s.