Fairfax County Joins Lidl In Groundbreaking For New Store In Lorton

LORTON, VA — Lidl held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for a new grocery store in the new Liberty Market shopping area in Lorton.

The new 30,000 square-foot Lidl grocery store will be located at 9001 White Spruce Way. Lidl has yet to announce an opening date for the new store.

Liberty Market is the commercial component of an 80-acre project called Liberty, which includes the transformation of the old Lorton prison. The Liberty community will include 172 loft-style apartments, 180 single-family and townhouses, and Liberty Market, a retail and commercial center.

The groundbreaking for Lidl "not only provides a strong and important anchor for Liberty Market, but also brings a local, walkable grocery store to the many surrounding communities of Liberty, Laurel Hill and Spring Hill,” Dan Storck, Mount Vernon District supervisor on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Enabling residents to walk or bike to their local store to purchase healthy, sustainable foods in such an historic area is a win-win for everyone,” Storck said.

Elm Street Development is leading the Liberty project.

“The commercial portion of the Liberty project, Liberty Market, is approved for about 100,000 square feet of space, split between the historic prison structures and new construction,” Elm Street Development’s James Perry said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Delivering that much commercial space in one location is only possible if you have a vibrant, attractive anchor tenant that draws people to your center. LIDL is that anchor tenant for Liberty Market,” Perry said.

Lidl operates about 11,200 stores in 32 countries, employing more than 310,000 employees. Lidl opened its U.S. headquarters in Arlington in June 2015 and now has over 600 employees at the U.S. headquarters.

Lidl has 125 stores in nine East Coast states, with more than 20 stores in the D.C. area.