The grand opening is on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.

The long-awaited arrival of the first Lidl store in Howard County is finally here! The German grocer is opening a new store on Wednesday, June 9, at The Mall in Columbia. The full-service, 26,000 square-foot grocery store is occupying the old Sears space and one of 10 stores opening in Maryland this year.

The new Columbia store will be holding a grand opening on Wednesday, June 9, that includes a DJ and giveaways. The festivities start at 8 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting and gift cards for the first 100 customers. Each gift card will be loaded with a denomination between $5 and $100. Throughout the day visitors can enter to win a $500 gift card and get a free tote bag by using the MyLidl app.

File photo, courtesy Lidl U.S.

Lidl’s U.S. corporate headquarters are located in Arlington, Virginia and the company opened a 700,00 square-foot regional distribution center in Cecil County last year. The new hub distributes food to stores in five states and employs 200 people. Last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Lidl began providing medical insurance for both full and part-time employees and is paying employees a $200 bonus if they get vaccinated for COVID-19. The company also outfitted stores and warehouses with hospital-grade filtration systems.

Lidl’s secret to success is carrying low-cost, high-quality products, and operating on an efficient system that requires customers to bring bags and bag their own groceries.

The stores focus on quality private-labeled products along with items produced by local and regional farms. In addition to food and beverage, each store has a selection of home goods, clothing, and seasonal products. The company is opening more than 50 stores in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia by the end of 2021.