The popular discount grocery chain has reportedly signed a lease for the former Foodtown at Toms River Center, bringing a supermarket back to a property that has sat empty for more than a decade.
TOMS RIVER, NJ — After more than 11 years of sitting vacant, the former Foodtown supermarket on Route 37 in Toms River may finally be getting a new tenant. German discount grocery chain Lidl has reportedly signed a lease to open its first Toms River supermarket at the Toms River Center shopping plaza.
This comes after the company shut down its Route 9 location in Howell.
The planned store would occupy approximately 19,000 square feet at the shopping center near the intersection of Route 37 and Route 166, just east of the Garden State Parkway.
Commercial real estate firm Catalyst Real Estate Partners announced the lease through its Instagram account.
An opening date has not been announced, and the lease announcement does not establish whether all necessary municipal approvals have been secured.
Former Foodtown has been empty since 2015
For longtime Ocean County residents, the location is a familiar one.
Foodtown operated at Toms River Center for approximately three decades before closing in 2015, leaving a large vacant supermarket space along one of the township’s busiest commercial corridors.
The store’s closure came as supermarket competition intensified, particularly following the opening of the large ShopRite across Route 37.
Since then, the empty Foodtown has been the subject of repeated speculation about potential replacement businesses.
Lidl would bring another discount grocery option to Toms River
Lidl has expanded its presence throughout New Jersey, competing with established supermarket chains through lower-priced groceries, private-label products and a smaller-store operating model.
The company currently operates Ocean County locations in Brick Township and Lanoka Harbor.
Its stores typically feature fresh produce, meats, seafood, bakery products, imported European foods and rotating selections of household merchandise.
Unlike conventional supermarkets with large selections of competing national brands, Lidl emphasizes its own private-label products alongside a smaller assortment of familiar grocery brands.
The company has continued opening stores across New Jersey, including a new location in Totowa earlier this year.
New supermarket could revive longtime vacant shopping center
A new grocery store would bring regular customer traffic back to a shopping center that lost one of its major anchors more than a decade ago.
Toms River Center occupies a prominent location along Route 37, with access to Route 166 and the Garden State Parkway.
The property has remained a recognizable retail landmark even as the former Foodtown space sat empty.