Loyal Piggly Wiggly shoppers nervous as Lidl threatens Devine Street takeover
Sue Lakin has shopped at the Piggly Wiggly on Devine Street for as long as she can remember.
“We call her Miss Piggly Wiggly!” said her friend and fellow shopper, Charleen Goodwin.
Every week since the store opened more than 40 years ago, Lakin has devotedly bought her groceries at Piggly Wiggly, which she said is convenient to her house and good on deals.
However, the European discount grocer Lidl is moving to take over Piggly Wiggly’s location and add a liquor store.
Monday night, the Columbia Planning Commission approved a request for Lidl signage over the two, free-standing Piggly Wiggly signs on Devine and Kilbourne Streets.
Johnathan Chambers, the land development administrator for the city, said that Lidl representatives also submitted proposals for interior and exterior renovations to the Piggly Wiggly building. These plans are awaiting approval.
The plans came as a surprise to Piggly Wiggly store owner Darrell Miller, who only found out about the signage request last Friday, according to store manager Daryl Russ.
Miller said in a Facebook statement on Sept. 11, “There is no deal in place to transition our store to that company or any other. Our lease structure provides us many more years to operate our store and serve the communities we love, and that is what we intend to do!”
Miller would not disclose the terms of the lease.
The Richland Register of Deeds lists the owner of the 3818 Devine St. location as The Niggel Family Partnership, but proposals submitted to the Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals list Travis Caldwell as the property owner. Caldwell is the director of real estate for Lidl.
The Niggel Family Partnership is headed by June Derrick of Columbia. Her family once owned much of Devine Street, but older family members passed away and properties were sold, according to her nephew, Dr. Mike Niggel. Derrick could not be reached for comment.
The Devine Street Piggly Wiggly was under a leasing structure that allowed a management company to act as owners of the property and lease the building for 20 years starting on December 28, 2000, according to documents filed with the city. That leasehold period ends on Dec. 28, 2020, when the Niggel Family will have full control of the building again.
In addition to Lidl’s renovation plans, a sign in front of the grocery store notes an application for a new liquor store. A Columbia zoning technician said Lidl plans to use the current Piggly Wiggly building as a grocery store and add a separate “liquor box” to the property.
A public hearing for the proposed liquor store will be held virtually on Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.
The estimated project value is $3.6 million to transform Piggly Wiggly into Lidl.
After hearing the store may soon be taken over by a competitor, Goodwin joked that Lakin would “go home and have nightmares” about the possibility of the store closing.
The Piggly Wiggly, known in the community as “The Social Pig,” is an affordable option for shoppers on Devine Street located between an Earth Fare and a Whole Foods.
The Memphis, TN- based grocery chain had 1,300 locations nationwide at its peak in 1923. Now, there are around 530 Piggly Wigglys left.
Lidl has 100 stores in the U.S. and 11,000 worldwide, boasting a more modern approach to grocery shopping with do-it-yourself bagging, 80% Lidl branded foods and a sleek design.
Jenny Walker, who has shopped at Piggly Wiggly for 30 years, said, “If it was not the way it is now, I would easily switch stores.”
Walker is not accepting of the change and said she believes strongly in shopping local and supporting American businesses.
Lidl started as an independent grocery store in Germany in 1973 and spread throughout Europe, making its way to the U.S. in 2017.
The company constructed the first Columbia location on Summit Parkway last year. Its first Midlands store opened in 2018 in Lexington.
The Piggly Wiggly has “help wanted” signs inside the store and no signs of leaving.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 12:27 PM.