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A German discount grocer has been quietly selling off its undeveloped land in San Antonio after failing to build any stores in the area.
Lidl, known for its low-priced generic items, has sold a total of 8.6 acres in San Antonio over the past four years. Most recently, the grocery chain sold 1.13 acres in Universal City to Velocity Auto Care on July 10, property records show. The land is valued at $325,000, according to the Bexar Central Appraisal District.
The grocer opened its first U.S. locations in 2017 and began buying land in the San Antonio area that year, even filing plans for a store on the East Side and saying it was "pursuing plans for a number of locations." That year, commercial real estate firm CBRE confirmed that the grocer planned to open a store on the West Side, at the intersection of Alamo Ranch and Lone Star parkways.
All told, it purchased 18.6 acres in four parcels: 5.5 acres along Culebra Road near Westover Hills Boulevard, 5.3 acres near Alamo Ranch and Lone Star parkways, 3.6 acres along Universal City Boulevard and 4.2 acres at Seguin Road and Wood Glen Drive, according to Bexar County records.
READ MORE: Lidl expands on East Coast but stays mum on San Antonio plans
Lidl still owns 4.6 acres on Alamo Ranch Parkway on the far West Side and 5.5 acres on Culebra Road on the West Side.
It sold 0.7 acres of land it owned on Alamo Ranch Parkway, an additional 2.54 acres in Universal City and its 4.2 acres on the East Side. All of its former and current properties are located down the block from an H-E-B.
The German grocer did not respond to a request for comment.
In 2020, Lidl also put 15 undeveloped properties, totaling more than 83 acres, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area up for sale, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
It's unclear why Lidl halted its plans to grow the brand throughout the Lone Star State, but company representatives previously have said that the company was focused on its East Coast expansion.
Since its U.S. expansion, the discounter has opened more than 185 stores in nine East Coast states, including in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In less than a decade, its U.S. arm has had six different leaders, most recently appointing former Chief Operating Officer Alan Barry as CEO in May, according to retail publication Food Trade News.
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