Lidl Set To Open In Westhampton Beach Next Week

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — After months of anticipation, Westhampton Beach residents will once again have a supermarket: Lidl is set to open at the site of the former Best Market on Wednesday, May 19.

A grand opening event will be held at the store, located at 70 Sunset Avenue, at 7:40 a.m. Store hours will be from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; the store is Lidl's 17th on Long Island.

According to a release by Lidl, the store offers a "leading wage and benefits package" with starting salary of $16.50 per hour, as well as medical benefits for all employees regardless of how many hours worked per week.

In addition, Lidl will partner with the John Theissen Children’s Foundation to help kids in need; during the grand opening, Lidl will donate 50 cents to the organization for every new myLidl member who signs up and sets the new store as their home store. ,>

The first 100 customers on opening day will be presented with a special gift card ranging from $5 to $100 each, Lidl said.
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“Westhampton Beach welcomes Lidl to our village, and we appreciate its investment in and commitment to our community,” said Westhampton Village Beach Mayor Maria Moore. “We wish them great success.”,>

Added Westhampton Beach Village Trustee Brian Tymann: “I’m very excited to have a new supermarket in our village, especially one where the company has obviously invested a tremendous amount of time, effort, and capital into improving the property. I welcome Lidl and thank them for their commitment to our community and I look forward to a great partnership with them.”,>

Some Westhampton Beach shoppers, upset after finding themselves without a supermarket as Best Way closed its doors for months to make way for a new Lidl, have expressed some concerns, while others said they looked forward to the new store.,>

With an eye toward addressing issues raised and outlining plans for the new supermarket, William Harwood, public relations and communications manager at Lidl US, spoke with Patch for a previous interview.

The German grocery store chain purchased all of the Best Market stores on Long Island.

Harwood said across Long Island, Lidl is "seeing a tremendous amount of enthusiasm about the model and the products we are bringing — incredible quality at incredible prices." Lidl, he said, has fresh items delivered daily and "the best bakery, I believe, anywhere in the U.S. It's incredible."

The Lidl chain, Harwood said, is focused on making a "real investment in the areas that we are moving into."

The remodeling process includes revamping all stores with certified green practices and the highest environmental designation and environment-friendly designs; each store will receive new equipment, new fixtures, and new lighting, he said.

"We are confident from the reaction we are getting that this is going to be a huge win for the people of Westhampton," he said.