(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) In two weeks, a new grocery store will finally open in Penn Daw’s South Alex development.

Aldi is opening its newest location at 6218 N. Kings Hwy on Thursday, March 2, the company announced today. It will be Aldi’s eighth Fairfax County store.

The store opens at 9 a.m., and the first 100 customers will receive a gift bag “with a sampling of ALDI Fan Favorites products and a gift card as part of the ALDI Golden Ticket gift card giveaway program,” a press release says.

The “golden ticket” program enters shoppers into a raffle to win $500 in Aldi gift cards.

Jeff Baehr, Aldi’s Frederick regional vice president, told FFXnow in an email the Alexandria store fits what they are looking for in new locations.

“The new Alexandria store will feature open ceilings, natural lighting, environmentally friendly building materials and additional refrigeration for even more fresh produce, meat and grab-and-go options. Additionally, at the new store, ALDI will offer grocery pickup and delivery.

When it comes to choosing new store locations, we carefully consider several factors. Above all else, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support a high traffic volume daily. We look forward to serving the Alexandria community with this new store, ensuring the design and experience match the quality of our products.”

The grocery store moves into the South Alex development just off of Richmond Highway and about a mile from the Huntington Metro. The development also includes 41 townhouses, 400 apartments, and other ground-floor retail.

The project has been on the drawing board and delayed for a number of years.

Fairfax County first rezoned the 10-acre parcel of land where the mixed-used development now sits in 2012. The Board of Supervisors approved the project in 2014, and the existing, five-decade-old Penn Daw Shopping Center was demolished in 2016.

Fresh Market was initially scheduled to go into the new development but pulled out of the deal. Nonetheless, ground broke in 2018 on the project, which was renamed South Alex instead of One Kings.

Two years later, a massive fire caused nearly $50 million in damages and set the project back significantly. South Alex finally opened to residents last summer, and Aldi anticipated that it could start selling by the end of the year.

That didn’t quite happen, but in early March, it’s looking like a grocery store at the new Penn Daw mixed-use development will finally be ready to open.

Once it opens, the store will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Aldi has over 1,000 stores in the U.S. and several in Fairfax County, including locations in Kingstowne and Mount Vernon.

The development is also advertising leasing opportunities for other businesses, but none have been confirmed as of yet.

Wegmans is officially opening its doors to the public tomorrow (Wednesday) in Brookfield Properties’ new Halley Rise development.

The 85,000-square-foot grocery store is located at 11950 Hopper Street and will officially open at 9 a.m.

Most of the store’s 425 employees were hired locally, according to the company.

Katie Sullivan, the store’s manager, told FFXnow that the Reston location is unique because it was adapted to an urban-focused environment.

“This store is unique in that it’s an urban-style Wegmans in a mixed-use development. We’ve automated the shopping experience at this store, with a unique layout that is built for the urban environment,” Sullivan told FFXnow.

The Reston location also has a self-serve coffee bar — the first in any other Wegmans store in the state. A Burger Bar is also available through the company’s online ordering app.

The store has the traditional restaurant section, which is a staple of the Wegmans’ brand. Items on the menu include fresh sushi, pizza, salads, sandwiches, packaged subs and other prepackaged meals.

In celebration of its opening, the grocery store has committed $20,000 through donations and event partnerships in the Reston area.

Parking is accessible in a structured parking garage below the grocery store. Residential units tower above the grocery store, which is accessible from the Reston Town Center Metro station.

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc has 109 stores along the East Coast, including ones in Fairfax, Chantilly and Capital One Center in Tysons.

The grocery store is an anchor tenant of Brookfield’s development, which will transform a 36-acre office park near the Metro station with 3.5 million square feet of housing, retail, offices and open spaces. Up to 1,500 residential units, 250,000 square feet of retail, and 1.5 million square feet of office space are planned.

Wegmans will officially open its Reston location on Feb 1. at 9 a.m, the grocer announced today.

The 85,000-square-foot store, which is located at the new Halley Rise development at the intersection of Reston Parkway and Sunrise Valley Drive, will include a cafe, coffee shop and The Burger Bar.

“While our opening is still a few months away, we have already met many great applicants and are excited to continue building our team,” wrote Reston Store Manager Katie Sullivan in a statement. “Wegmans is known for being one of the best places to work because we offer opportunities for advancement, flexible scheduling, and competitive pay and benefits packages.”

It’s expected to employ more than 400 people. Currently, a hiring effort is underway for nearly 200 open positions. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply online before the event.

An in-person hiring event is set for Tuesday, Nov. 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The Edmund apartments (2025 Fulton Place).

The grocery store is on the ground floor of The Edmund.

Wawa will do its best Oprah impression tomorrow (Thursday) — only instead of giving away cars, it will serve up free coffee to all customers in Virginia.

The occasion prompting this caffeine-fueled largesse is the grand opening of Wawa’s first store in the City of Fairfax, the company’s 100th in the state.

Replacing the old Rodeway Inn, the new convenience store and gas station at 9700 Fairfax Blvd. will welcome its initial customers at 8 a.m. by handing out commemorative T-shirts to the first 100 people to walk through the door.

To mark the milestone opening, Wawa says all 100 of its stores in Virginia will provide free coffee of any size that day. At the Fairfax store, the coffee giveaway will continue through Sept. 11.

Here is more on what to expect from the grand opening from a press release:

Friends and neighbors are invited to count down the exciting moment to when the doors open for the very first time at 8:00 a.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:00 a.m., with Wawa mascot Wally Goose, oversized scissors, red ribbon, confetti and fanfare.

As part of the grand opening festivities, Wawa will present at $30,000 grant from The Wawa Foundation to Special Olympics Virginia to support the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which unites officers from law enforcement agencies and corrections departments across the state to raise more than $1 million annually for Special Olympics Virginia. Each summer, law enforcement officers carry the Flame of Hope across Virginia, culminating with the Torch Run Final Leg and the lighting of the Olympics cauldron to officially open the Summer Games.

The day will also bring a hoagie-building competition between the Fairfax City Police Department, City of Fairfax Fire Department, and George Mason University Police Department, with $1,000 checks going to charities chosen by each department.

In addition, Wawa says it will recognize a member of the local community who has had a positive impact with a ceremony and gift basket. The gesture is part of the company’s “2022 Day Brighteners” initiative, which celebrates standout employees and community members.

“At Wawa, our core purpose is fulfilling lives every day and since our first store opened, we’ve believed that we all have a role in making this world a better place,” Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens said in a statement. “Our store teams and Associates deliver experiences and emotional connections with customers that go beyond what traditionally happens in a retail environment. Simply put, they help make their communities happier and more connected.”

Joining locations in Vienna and Chantilly, the 6,049-square-foot Fairfax store has 12 gas pumps and will offer hot food from its kitchen, including the chain’s signature hoagies and customizable burgers. There are also drinks and ready-to-go items.

Services include mobile ordering, curbside pickup, delivery options and catering.

The store has about 50 full-time and part-time employees. All of the positions are newly created, per the press release.

Started as a dairy processing plant in Pennsylvania in 1902, Wawa evolved into a grocery business with the opening of its first market in 1964. In recent years, the chain has been rapidly expanding beyond its core Pennsylvania and New Jersey service area, with a total of 52 new stores expected to open in 2022.

(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) Another Amazon Fresh is coming soon to Fairfax County, according to a report.

The Washington Business Journal reports that Amazon.com Inc. is seeking subcontractors to renovate space within the shopping center.

Not much has been publicly disclosed about the project. WBJ discovered a permit under the name L.F. Jennings for 12993 Fair Lakes Shopping Center, a code used by the company for Amazon Fresh stores.

Work on the project won’t be underway until the second quarter of next year, according to the general contractor’s website.

It’s unclear if and how Amazon Fresh will consolidate nearby spaces for a larger store that is more in-line with its other locations. Next door, the former World Market Saks off 5th location reopened as a Spirit Halloween. (h/t to Rocket for the correction)

Fairfax County has other Amazon Fresh stores in Franconia and Lorton. Another location is underway in Baileys Crossroads.

Amazon Fresh is a grocery service and store that allows shoppers to buy items without having to individually scan items. Customers simply scan an app or credit card when the enter and exist the store.

Amazon also has a Whole Foods Market in the works at Springfield Plaza.

Aldi is expected to open a new location in Penn Daw’s South Alex development later this year.

The development by Combined Properties includes 41 townhouses, 400 apartments with ground-floor retail, and the grocery store.

“We are excited to share we plan to open a new Aldi store later this year in Fairfax County,” Jeff Baehr, Aldi’s Vice President of the company’s Frederick Division, said in a statement.

South Alex is located at the intersection of North Kings Highway and Richmond Highway. The area already has a grocery store on Richmond Highway near Hybla Valley.

The project has been on the drawing board for several years after the demolition of the 50-year-old Penn Daw Shopping Center in 2016. A previous deal for a grocer fell through that year after The Fresh Market failed to reach an agreement with the development company.

ALDI, which is a German multinational discount supermarket chain, firmed up plans to open at the development in 2018.

The project is part of a plan to revitalize the area with mixed-use projects and transit-oriented developments. Overall, up to 45,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space is planned on the site — 20,000 of which is taken up by the Aldi lease.

The former home of Giant will soon welcome another grocer.

Permit documents suggest Whole Foods Market plans to open at 6426 Springfield Plaza, a county spokesperson told FFXnow in a statement, supporting rumors circulating among local residents and employees in the shopping center.

Extensive construction on the site — which was home to Giant before it was renovated and moved to a larger space in the plaza — is currently underway.

But it’s still unclear what’s in store for the Whole Foods Market in Old Keene Mill Shopping Center in Springfield.

Whole Foods declined multiple requests for comment from FFXnow on its plans for Springfield, including whether or not the current location plans to relocate.

A company spokesperson simply noted that a location in Springfield is “in development.”

Based on plaza leasing materials, the new location has a significantly larger footprint.

Representatives for Rappaport, a commercial real estate management company of the plaza, repeatedly declined comment.

Lee District Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s office, which represents the area, told FFXnow that it had not been “directly informed by the Springfield Plaza owners or managers as to what the new tenant located at 6426 Springfield Plaza will be.”

However, the office says it obtained publicly available documents related to a permit for renovations on the site. The permit is listed in the county’s FIDO database for a “future tenant.”

“Upon a request to Land Development Services (LDS) from the Supervisor’s office, we were able to discern from the application documents of permit # 220400083 that the name ‘Whole Foods’ would be the name placed upon the new frontage of the building,” Lusk’s office said by email.

Fatimah Waseem, Angela Woolsey and Brandi Bottalico contributed to this report.

Amazon is bringing its version of a grocery store — Amazon Fresh — to Lorton this month.

The business plans to open a 38,000-square-foot location on June 23. It’s one of three locations coming soon to Northern Virginia.

A location in Manassas opened today (Thursday), and an Arlington location is expected to open in the coming weeks.

“Amazon is proud to support these communities by creating hundreds of high-quality jobs with the opening of each store, offering a starting wage of $15.50/hour, and donating surplus food to local food banks,” the company wrote in a press release.

The Lorton location is at 9409 Lorton Market Street and will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Like the Fairfax City store that opened in April, all three locations will feature Just Walk Out shopping — technology that allows customers to skip the checkout line.

Customers enter the store by scanning an in-store QR code in the Amazon app or using a credit or debit card to open the “Just Walk Out’ gates. Anything taken off a shelf is added to the virtual card. Customers then scan or use their card to exit the grocery store.

Amazon Fresh will accept cash, SNAP/EBT, credit or debit card, and the Amazon app.

The store will include national brands, made-to-order pizzas, rotisserie chickens, hot sandwiches, 365 by Whole Foods Market organic products, and local brands like Mason Dixie Biscuits, Bread First Bakery and Taharka Brothers Ice Cream.

According to the press release, Amazon Fresh will provide a coupon for $10 off orders of $20 or more that can be used at its new stores.

McLean residents turned out in force yesterday (Wednesday) for the grand opening of Fairfax County’s newest Lidl — its first north of I-66.

Starting with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:40 a.m., the 25,000-square-foot grocery store saw a steady stream of customers pack the parking lot at 1330 Chain Bridge Road, drawn by promises of giveaways and special deals.

Upon entering the store, visitors were greeted by bold yellow signs touting the chain’s reputation for low prices and the warm scent of fresh bread and pastries, which proved irresistible to at least one shopper.

“I was very impressed with the bakery,” she said, noting that she doesn’t normally buy baked goods but decided to grab some this time.

A first-time Lidl patron, the McLean resident said she typically frequents Trader Joe’s and ALDI with the Giant Food just down the road as a “fallback.” However, the arrival of a coupon flier and a friend who likes Lidl convinced her to check out the new store, which she thought had “variety” and was “well-stocked.”

Another shopper told FFXnow that she has visited the store in Merrifield, but the McLean location will be more convenient, since it’s “basically right across the street from us.”

“It’s a little crowded,” she said, expressing hope that the store will be calmer after the grand opening excitement fades.

In anticipation of a busy day, Lidl set up two extra checkout counters to accommodate shoppers with smaller items, according to an employee. The store has six permanent checkout bays.

Lidl views the store’s opening as a decided success, reporting “a great turnout” in the morning and continued excitement throughout the day.

“I think that the community’s very, very excited,” McLean store manager Oleg Perederiy said. “We’ve been having a lot of people here. People are really happy they’re getting the products that they want. They’re happy with the prices, and just the overall experience for them is great.”

The store’s operating hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It will eventually be joined by Matchbox Pizza and Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, though Perederiy said it will likely be another month or two before the restaurants open.

Lidl still has stores in the works for Tysons, Lorton, and Chantilly. A spokesperson says timelines for the new locations haven’t been set yet, but the Tysons one could be ready sometime this year, Pike 7 Plaza owner Federal Realty previously told FFXnow.

While the German company’s current U.S. expansion remains focused on the East Coast, Perederiy says it could make the leap to the West Coast someday.

“At the moment, this company’s still opening stores, we’re still rapidly growing, and we’re still having massive success in the States,” Perederiy said.

Get ready, McLean: Lidl is about to make its debut.

As promised, the German grocer known for its low prices will welcome customers to its newest store this summer, with a grand opening celebration on June 1, the company announced today (Friday).

“McLean residents have been looking forward to the opening of the Lidl grocery store for some time because of its reputation for high-quality products at discount prices,” Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said in the press release. “Congratulations to Lidl on the opening and welcome to the wonderful community of McLean.”

Located at 1330 Chain Bridge Road, Lidl takes the place of McLean’s Safeway, which closed in April 2021. The store will operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day going forward.

Launching with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:40 a.m., the grand opening celebration will include “special giveaways,” samples, a raffle for a $500 gift card, and gift cards ranging in value from $5 to $100 for the first 100 customers.

Lidl says it has also partnered with the local food bank, Share of McLean, to donate $1 during that first week through June 5 for every customer who signs up for its myLidl rewards program and sets the McLean location as their home store.

According to the release, Lidl invested about $10 million in renovating the site, its 34th in the U.S. The new store will create more than 45 new jobs, and all workers start at $16 per hour with benefits — including healthcare coverage for both full-time and part-time employees.

“Lidl has a long commitment to Virginia,” Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr said, referencing the company’s choice of Arlington as its U.S. headquarters. “This McLean store will be their 34th in Virginia and their $10 Million investment will bring affordable food and groceries to families across the region. We greatly appreciate all they do for the communities they serve.”

Since establishing its Crystal City base in June 2015, Lidl has focused on expanding its presence along the East Coast, opening more than 150 stores across nine states.

The news of an opening date in McLean comes shortly after Lidl confirmed to FFXnow that it has plans for a Tysons location at Pike 7 Plaza. The company already has stores in Merrifield, Fairfax, Lincolnia, Burke, and Springfield, and new Lorton and Chantilly franchises are also in the works.

“We are excited to see Lidl continue to expand its presence in Fairfax County,” Fairfax County Economic Development Authority President and CEO Victor Hoskins said. “With the opening of its McLean store, Lidl continues to help strengthen our economic base and enhance the vibrancy of our community.”

The new Lidl will be accompanied by Big Buns Damn Good Burgers and Matchbox Pizza, but there’s no word yet on when those eateries will open.