A local attorney representing a relatively new grocer in the United States that wants to open a 36,000-square-foot store on busy Dawsonville Highway offered a few more details about the German chain looking to become the new kid on the block. Tyler Smith told members at a Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board meeting Tuesday that although not many people in the United States know about Lidl, the chain has been thriving in Europe since the 1930s and is now the fifth-largest retailer in the world. “They are new to the United States, but they are not new at all to the world market and the grocery industry,” said Smith, of the Smith, Gilliam, Williams and Miles law firm in Gainesville. “It is in 26 countries, 10,000 stores, 315,000 employees.” The planning board unanimously accepted planning staff’s recommendation to give its OK to the zoning change of almost 7 acres to general business classification. Gainesville City Council will have final say on whether the project is approved.