Holiday Farms Set to Replace Lidl in Westhampton Beach

Westhampton Beach is getting a new supermarket. The Lidl at 70 Sunset Avenue has closed, and according to Dawn Watson (@DawnWatsonhamptons), a local real estate agent, it will be replaced by Holiday Farms, a Long Island grocer known for its deli, prepared foods and catering.

Lidl closed its doors on October 11 after about five years in the village. The building has been a grocery store for a long time, first as a Waldbaum's until 2015, then as a Best Market, and then as a Lidl starting in May 2021. At nearly 29,000 square feet, it is the largest grocery store in the village.

What is coming to Sunset Avenue

According to Watson, the new Holiday Farms will include a soup bar, a sushi bar, grab and go food and a full grocery store. The projected opening is May 2027, just ahead of the summer season.

One note on timing. When Patch asked earlier this month, a Holiday Farms representative said the company could neither confirm nor deny the rumor, and the landlord's real estate firm had said the incoming tenant could not be named because of a confidentiality agreement. The details here come from Watson, who is not an official company source, and May 2027 is a projected date, so it could change.

Why I am excited

I will say it plainly: I am very excited about this. Lidl honestly was a letdown for me. The quality did not feel great, and it never had everything I needed when I went in. I know a lot of other locals felt the same frustration.

To be fair, not everyone felt that way. Mayor Ralph Urban has said many residents enjoyed the produce, bakery and affordability at Lidl. Still, Cary Staller, whose firm represents the landlord, said Lidl was not really what the community wanted, and its limited selection leaned heavily on its own private label products.

What Holiday Farms is about

Holiday Farms is a locally owned Long Island supermarket and caterer led by David Mandell, a third generation grocer. It operates stores in Nassau County, including Roslyn Heights, Glen Head and Franklin Square, and it is part of the Key Food cooperative, a group of independently owned stores that pool their buying power.

Its approach is worth knowing about. When Holiday Farms took over the former King Kullen in Franklin Square in 2022, it remodeled the store, enlarged the produce, deli and bakery areas and added sushi. Mandell has said the company curates its products to fit what each community needs, with the mindset of a small business that stays close to its customers.

Price will be the big question. Some Franklin Square residents worried about costs when that store opened, since Holiday Farms also has stores in wealthier areas, and Mandell said the Key Food cooperative lets the stores offer lower prices. Westhampton Beach shoppers will want to see how that plays out here.

Why it could work here

Westhampton Beach has a busy summer and a quiet offseason, a challenge the mayor has pointed to when talking about running a supermarket in the village. A store built around prepared food, sushi, soup and grab and go options gives summer visitors an easy lunch or beach day stop, while the full grocery side serves locals who need a real weekly shop. Citarella, which opened in the village earlier this year, covers the specialty side. This store would fill the everyday role.

Until May, the village is without its largest grocery store. I will share more as details are confirmed.