European grocery chain coming to Midlands

European grocery chain LiDL (pronounced Lee-dle) is planning to expand into the Southeast with three proposed locations in the Midlands.

According to site plans submitted by LiDL to the Town of Lexington and Richland County, the chain is eyeing locations at the intersection of Hardscrabble Road and Summit Parkway in Columbia and in the 5200 block of Sunset Boulevard in Lexington across from Walgreens and Aldi – LiDL’s biggest European competitor. The chain is also targeting a site on North Road in Orangeburg.

All three sites are approximately 36,000 square feet. According to company spokesperson Will Harwood, the company plans to open sites in South Carolina by 2018. The chain is also targeting locations in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

Fit Columbia moves to Five Points

Angela Wolff Sellers opened Fit Columbia and Fit Yoga in a 500-square-foot space on Devine Street in 2010. Four years later, in September 2014, Wolff moved the growing business across the street to a studio twice the size at 2927 Devine St.

Last month, Fit Columbia moved again – this time to 2002 Blossom St. in Five Points.

“One of the issues I have is that I have a lot of clients who have injuries, who are recovering from back surgeries, who are senior citizens and I have a lot of people who bring their kids – especially in the summer,” Sellers said. “My space on Devine had a staircase, and I just needed a space that was closer to the ground. Also, it’s in Five Points and Five Points is just booming – there’s lots of energy here.”

A fitness center offering strength and cardiovascular conditioning, Fit Columbia and Fit Yoga’s claim to fame has been its yoga wall. A West Coast trend that uses adjustable straps in varying poses, the wall allows participants to hang upside down or receive support for positions that might be difficult because of injury or sickness – or if the pose is simply too difficult to achieve otherwise.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "European grocery chain coming to Midlands."