Lidl US announced plans to open 50 new stores by the end of 2021. The stores will be located in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. This will bring Lidl’s total number of stores to more than 150.

Lidl will invest more than $500 million in the new stores and will create about 2,000 new jobs across these communities.  Lidl offers a leading wages and benefits package that includes healthcare insurance for all full and part-time employees.

The company’s expansion will be a boon for customers. Recent academic studies have documented Lidl’s cost-cutting effect in new markets it enters. A new study from University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School observed Lidl’s pricing to be up to 45 percent lower than nearby national grocers.

This month, the National Retail Federation ranked Lidl as the top retailer in its Hot 100 Retailers list of fastest-growing companies. Lidl opened its third regional headquarters and distribution center in Cecil County, MD, earlier this year to support its store network. It plans to open its fourth distribution center in Covington, GA, over the next two years.

As part of Lidl’s ongoing effort to prioritize the most convenient locations, Lidl also will close two stores in Havelock and Shelby, NC. All employees there will be given the opportunity to relocate to another store within Lidl’s growing store network.