Plans For Burke Shoppers Grocery Store Revealed

BURKE, VA — Shoppers will close its location in Burke, but that opens a door for a new grocery store brand to come to town. The Shoppers location at 9274 Old Keene Mill Road is one of six being sold to Lidl.

Lidl, a discount German grocery store chain with locations in the U.S., confirmed to WTOP that it will buy the Burke Shoppers, as well as five stores in Maryland. A list of Shoppers store closings on the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400 union's website indicates the Lidl sales will close by Jan. 2, 2020.

There was no immediate information on opening dates. Lidl has locations in Woodbridge, Manassas, Dumfries, Ashburn and Fredericksburg. An express location opened in Arlington.

Shoppers' parent company United Natural Foods, Inc. announced the upcoming sales of 13 stores, as well as four closings, on Dec. 6. The company bought Shoppers in 2018 and later announced intentions to sell stores.

While Lidl will acquire the Burke Shoppers store, two other Northern Virginia stores are set to close. The Potomac Yard Shopping Center location at 3801 Richmond Highway in Alexandria and Bull Run Plaza location at 10864 Sudley Manor Drive in Manassas will shut down by the end of January 2020, United Natural Foods, Inc. said. The company already closed pharmacies inside grocery stores earlier in 2019.

UFCW Local 400 criticized the sales and closures of Shoppers locations, claiming employees were left in the dark about the future of the stores.

"Since UNFI acquired Shoppers, we have requested, insisted and demanded to be given information on the fate of these stores, "reads a statement from the union. "In response, we have been met with cold indifference. UNFI has refused to provide us with any assurances that the hardworking men and women who have dedicated their careers to this company won’t be left out in the cold."

In addition to Lidl's purchases, Compare Foods and McKay's will buy certain Shoppers locations in Maryland. Stores not mentioned in a news release from United Natural Foods, Inc. will remain open as the parent company tries to sell them.