Aldi Belgium considers opening on Sundays

Like Lidl, Aldi wants to negotiate with the unions to open its stores on Sundays as well. Since Delhaize, Carrefour, and Okay are also open on Sundays, Colruyt may soon be the only major supermarket chain in Belgium to remain closed on Sundays.

Loss of revenue

Aldi’s management announced on Thursday that it wants to negotiate with the unions regarding Sunday openings. The company confirmed this to De Tijd. Revenue reportedly fell by 0.2% in the first quarter. The discounter is losing customers as more and more competitors open on Sundays.

“We are holding exploratory talks with the social partners to examine the possibilities regarding Sunday openings. In this way, we aim to build a sustainable future for our customers in a rapidly changing retail market and safeguard the employment of our staff,” Aldi stated.

Vague message

But the unions suspended the meeting immediately after the announcement, because store staff had already been informed of the plans during the meeting. They also argue that management’s message was vague: “Aldi only wants to finalize its plans once there is more clarity about those of the competition. For example, there was no answer to the question of whether—like Lidl—it intends to open only some of its stores on Sunday mornings and whether those stores would also be open on Monday mornings,” Wilson Wellens of the ACLVB union told the newspaper.

In March, it was reported that Lidl is also holding exploratory talks about Sunday openings. Yesterday, Carrefour reported a similar increase in sales for the first quarter, which is said to be partly due to Sunday openings since January. Only Colruyt is opposed to Sunday openings, as it would not be profitable for the chain. The question is whether the chain can afford to be the only one to remain closed on Sundays.