Leases for the two other warehouses at River and Neck roads are pending.

Lidl, a German supermarket chain venturing into the U.S. market for the first time, has received preliminary approval to locate at 1801 Mount Holly Road (Route 541) across from Kelly Drive while site preparation work for a new McDonald's down the road already has begun. Lidl is also locating other new markets along both the East Coast and in the South.

The warehouses are expected to create hundreds of jobs.

"When the warehouse complex is built, the developer projected 300 to 400 new jobs there," township administrator Walter Corter said.

Corter said the township is a "good place to do business" and is strategically located to major transportation routes with new development occurring.

He said the H&M warehouse is expected to be completed by early summer and is moving from North Arlington in Bergen County because it needs expanded space for its growing retail business in the U.S. The company operates nearly 4,000 stores worldwide.
This warehouse under construction is on the River RoadBuy Photo

The new industrial park is near Exit 6A of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 295.

Clarion Partner of Dallas, Texas, the industrial park owner and developer, bought the site of the former Hercules chemical company. The 131-acre property was a brownfield site cleared of structures and cleaned of hazardous contamination to non-residential standards, Corter said.

Clarion Partners did not respond to requests for comment.

The warehouse for H&M is 477,736 square feet and the warehouse for the hotel supplier more than 500,000 square feet.

On Friday, work was ongoing at three warehouse buildings.

Economic development also is continuing on the opposite side of the township along Mount Holly Road, one of the busiest roads in Burlington County.

Township engineer Scot Hatfield said Lidl will be a smaller supermarket than the Acme or ShopRite along Mount Holly and Sunset roads and employ 30 to 35 people.

Lidl has 10,000 stores in 26 countries and offers private labels.

The opening of a ShopRite along Mount Holly Road has resurrected the long-ailing Wishing Well Plaza shopping center on Mount Holly Road and attracted new strip retailers there — a Hallmark store, a barbershop and a nail salon,which joined a Chinese restaurant that weathered the recession years.

Meanwhile, redevelopment of Burlington Center Mall has lagged. However, Corter said the township has been told the former Macy's anchor store will be demolished this year.

Original Article