Lidl celebrates its grand opening in East Meadow

Lidl welcomed guests on July 29 to a grand opening celebration for its new East Meadow store, at 1980 Hempstead Tpke. The day included a ribbon cutting, raffle and social media competition.

Lidl officials announced last October that it has been remodeling four Best Market stores, including one in East Meadow, to pave way for the new ownership. The East Meadow grocery store is now open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

All employees at the new Lidl stores in Nassau and Suffolk counties, including part-time workers, will receive full medical benefits, according to a statement from the company. Lidl also raised the starting minimum wage for Long Island store associates to $15 per hour, as opposed to the required $12 minimum on Long Island. And with every two new LIDL members, the company is donating a dollar to the Seaford-based nonprofit, the John Theissen Children's Foundation.

“We appreciate all the support we have received across Long Island as we prepare to open our first Lidl food markets in the region,” said Johannes Fieber, the president and chief executive officials of the U.S. branch of Lidl, which is headquartered in Germany. “Our teams are working hard to get ready and cannot wait to introduce shoppers to Lidl’s award-winning shopping experience.”

Lidl operates 10,800 stores and is active in 32 countries, employing around 287,000 employees globally. Lidl first established its U.S. headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in June 2015. Today, it sells its award-winning products in more than 70 stores across nine east coast states. For more information, visit www.Lidl.com.

—Brian Stieglitz