Lidl could be coming to Leland.

As a Lidl grocery store is in the works near the northern Brunswick County town, the German chain and its competitor Aldi have already spent millions of dollars to purchase land for new stores in the Cape Fear region.

Brunswick County officials are reviewing Lidl’s plans for a 36,170-square-foot grocery store at the intersection of U.S. 17 and Ocean Gate Plaza, on about 5.5 acres located in an area between the site of a planned Aldi grocery store and the Walmart in Leland.

Lidl bought the property, a 1.95-acre parcel from Oleander Properties LLC and 3.61 acres from a group of several sellers, in May for nearly $3 million, according to Brunswick County deeds.

In a recently recorded sale, Aldi spent $2.1 million to buy 2.89 acres at 3701 S. College Road from Trinity Reformed Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

The price was high because of the property’s unique qualities, including its location on a corner of heavily traveled South College Road that has a traffic light.

“There may be other similarly situated properties, but they are few and far between,” said Jonathan Washburn, a broker with Coldwell Banker Commercial SunCoast and an attorney.

Washburn represented the church, which will use temporary facilities while looking for a place to build a new sanctuary and offices, in the transaction with Aldi.

With Aldi’s purchase this summer of about 3 acres at 7910 Market St. for $1.7 million and Lidl’s acquisition of property on Eastwood Road in April for $2.75 million, the total the expanding chains have spent on land just in the Cape Fear region so far comes to nearly $9.5 million, according to Brunswick and New Hanover records.

That number could climb as Lidl and Aldi continue to consider other sites in the Wilmington area.

The Aldi on Market Street is already under construction, and all Aldi stores in Wilmington are expected to open next year, according to Krysta Cearley, Aldi Salisbury Division vice president.

In Leland, planning for an Aldi grocery store at Ploof Road and U.S. 17 is still underway, said Ashli Barefoot, senior planner for the town.

“The project engineer is working on the final step before preliminary approval is issued by the Town. Staff continues to receive updates and is working with the developer and engineering team to ensure the ball keeps rolling,” Barefoot said in an email.

Near the Aldi land on South College Road, a development group plans to build a 36,200-square-foot grocery store, as yet unnamed, in a mixed-use project called Arbor Commons.

Efforts to reach a Lidl representative for more information about the timing of the company’s plans to open stores in Wilmington and Leland were unsuccessful Tuesday. Lidl’s plans for a 36,000-square-foot store off Eastwood Road are still under review by the city of Wilmington.