Multiple outlets are reporting that German-based grocer Lidl has halted expansion plans in New Jersey. The news comes on the heels of inMarket’s Lidl Report Card, which identified decreasing foot traffic at the chain after its U.S. debut in June 2017.

inMarket CMO Cameron Peebles explained to Supermarket News today that Lidl’s strong opening in foot traffic eventually fell into late-summer decline. Peebles also said that changes to Lidl’s expansion strategy could potentially be a result of disappointing traffic performance, saying “Consumers vote with their feet in the retail environment.” He speculated that perhaps the brand had failed to retain customers after they made their first exploratory visits to the store.

NJ.com also mentions the recent inMarket Report Card in its story: "Lidl's June success doesn't seem to have maintained itself… While the low-cost grocer has seen some initial success, they'll need to inspire customer loyalty through great in-store experiences if they want to truly gain SOV (share of visits) from the established players in the space."

Lidl -- the German grocer operating over 10,000 stores across 28 countries -- entered the U.S. market for the first time in June, 2017.  It's a bold move at a time when major e-tailers like Amazon are diving into brick-and-mortar retail, and established low-cost players like Walmart becoming more aggressive than ever.

Lidl selected nine launch markets across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia for its first U.S. stores. To understand their traction, we dug into inMarket Location Data -- which aggregates store visits across all retailers in the U.S., based on a pool of 50 million consumers per month -- to see how Lidl has fared thus far, and if there was an impact on its competitors.

(inMarket uses this same proprietary, first-party location data to power online-to-offline advertising campaigns for the world’s leading brands and retailers. If you're interested in putting our location data to work for your brand, contact us today.)

In brief: Lidl started hot in June -- appearing to acquire visits from competitive retailers like Walmart, BI-LO and Harris Teeter. That success was short-lived, however, as traffic dropped off in July and August.

Consumers vote with their feet, and inMarket’s location engine is able to precisely measure if Lidl’s competitive offering is resonating and driving consistent foot traffic. Check out the full report over at inmarket.com/insights today.