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Lidl US tops NRF/Kantar’s Hot 100 Retailers list

Grocery retailers account for a third of fast-growing retail companies

Russell Redman

August 10, 2020

4 Min Read
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The National Retail Federation cited Lidl’s expanded offering of fresh foods in its small-footprint discount grocery stores as a key sales driver. The company topped the Hot 100 Retailers list for the second consecutive year.Lidl US

Lidl US came in first on the National Retail Federation (NRF)/Kantar 2020 Hot 100 Retailers list of the fastest-growing retail companies, which included 33 grocery retailers.

The Hot 100 Retailers, compiled by Kantar for NRF, ranks the nation’s fastest-growing retail companies, based on increases in domestic sales between 2018 and 2019. All retail companies with domestic sales in excess of $300 million were eligible.

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Arlington, Va.-based Lidl US finished No. 1 with sales growth of 69% to $1.09 billion in 2019, NRF/Kantar reported. In that time, Germany-based Lidl grew its U.S. store base 49% to 97 locations in nine East Coast states, and it now operates more than 100 U.S. stores.

NRF cited Lidl’s expanded offering of fresh foods in its small-footprint discount grocery stores as a key sales driver. The company topped the Hot 100 Retailers list for the second consecutive year.

“The ability to sell more produce comes as the German-owned chain builds a network of warehouses up and down the East Coast. Lidl entered the U.S. market three years ago, served by a lone warehouse in Fredericksburg, Va. It now has three warehouses with a fourth in the works, to be located in Georgia with no target date yet for opening,” NRF said in its 2020 Hot 100 Retailers report. “All this infrastructure could support a chain more than 10 times as large as the current Lidl, which opened its 100th U.S. store in late May in Suwanee, Ga.”

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Lidl US noted that this year it has opened more than 20 new stores as well as its and third distribution center, in Perryville, Md.

“We are proud to be recognized by the National Retail Federation as the fastest-growing retailer in the United States for the second year in a row,” Lidl US President and CEO Johannes Fieber said in a statement. “This ranking reflects the customer enthusiasm we see for Lidl in our communities every day.  Shoppers love Lidl’s low prices, and they are spreading the word about a grocer that gives them more for their money each time they shop. I want to thank the growing movement of loyal Lidl fans driving our growth, and the growing Lidl US team that delivers a value proposition that works better for our customers.”

Other grocery retailers finishing in the top 20 of the Hot 100 Retailers list were Don Quijote (Marukai) at No. 4, Amazon (owner of Whole Foods Markets) at No. 5, Boxed.com at No. 6, Coborn’s at No. 9, Grocery Outlet at No. 15 and FreshDirect at No. 16.

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Coborn’s, the other traditional supermarket in NRF/Kantar's top 10 besides Lidl US, is a 99-year-old family-owned company with a strong presence in four Upper Midwest states.

St. Cloud, Minn.-based Coborn’s saw sales grow 15% to $1.48 billion in 2019, while its store network expanded 13% to 78 locations, according to NRF/Kantar.

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“Coborn’s, the other supermarket in the top 10, is a 99-year-old family-owned company that has taken its time growing into four Upper Midwest states,” NRF said. “The stores have a number of nameplates, including Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods and Hornbacher’s. This last was added two years ago when Coborn’s acquired eight locations from the former Supervalu operation that had been taken over by United Natural Foods Inc. Coborn’s also runs a central bakery and a dry cleaning plant to support its stores.”     

Rounding out the Hot 100 grocery retailers were Festival Foods (No. 26), Costco (No. 27), 99 Ranch Market (No. 29), Rouses Markets (No. 30), Dollar General (No. 33), Sprouts Farmers Market (No. 34), Aldi (No. 35), H-E-B (No. 39), Wegmans Food Markets (No. 41), Hy-Vee (No. 46), Walgreens (No. 47), WinCo Foods (No. 53), Publix Super Markets (No. 54), CVS Pharmacy (No. 57), Schnuck Markets (No. 65), Harps Food Stores (No. 66), Piggly Wiggly/C&S Wholesale Grocers (No. 69), Grupo Comercial Chedraui (No. 71), Lund Food (No. 73), H Mart (No. 74), Foodland Supermarkets-Hawaii (No. 77), Fareway Stores (No. 78), Cosentino’s Food Stores (No. 84), Demoulas Market Basket (No. 87), Bashas’ (No. 90) and The Kroger Co. (No. 96).

Regional food chains and specialty food retailers typically finish high on the Hot 100 Retailers list, according to Tory Gundelach, senior vice president of retail insights at Kantar.

“Regional grocers are frequently able to be more agile and more in tune with the part of the country they serve. It can often be easier to implement changes in a few hundred stores versus thousands of stores,” Gundelach explained. “COVID-19 has changed this dynamic a bit, particularly for regional grocers that didn’t have a developed online business, but regional chains have been able to stress their connection to the community.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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