Value grocer Lidl has signed a long-term lease for 35,000 square feet at Queens Place Mall in Elmhurst, New York. With an estimated opening in the first quarter of 2024, the store will occupy the entire lower level of the 440,000-square-foot neighborhood mall.
“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 landlord Madison International Realty. “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. We view the Lidl store as an integral addition to the services we offer to the neighborhood and to the families who shop at Queens Place.”
Lidl offers a leading wages and benefits package, including healthcare for all full- and part-time employees, regardless of number of hours worked per week.
“We look forward to bringing a fresh, affordable and convenient grocery store to Queens Place and offering our customers in the area the best value every day,” said Or Raitses, Lidl U.S. senior real estate director. “We recognize that Lidl’s offering of fresh, high-quality products at low prices is more important than ever, and we look forward to continuing our expansion throughout New York City and serving even more customers in the area.”
Based in Arlington, Virginia, Lidl operates more than 170 stores on the East Coast, with 25 in New York state. In the New York City area, Lidl has store locations in Staten Island, Harlem and Astoria, Queens. The new store at Queens Place will replace DSW, whose lease is expiring in August.
Queens Place is part of a 2.5 million-square-foot, 15-property New York City retail portfolio that Madison acquired from Forest City Realty Trust. The real estate private equity firm acquired a 49% stake in Queens Place in 2011 and purchased the remaining 51% in 2018.
Madison International Realty was represented by Diana Boutross, Ian Lerner and Alan Schmerzler of Cushman & Wakefield. Lidl was represented by Kenneth Schuckman of Schuckman Realty.
