Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday on December 24, 2023. With implications for the opening times of supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka and Kaufland.
Munich – With the much-quoted contemplation Christmas sometimes it can be over quickly. For example, when the feast is being prepared for Christmas Eve, but a crucial ingredient is not in the fridge. Then good advice is expensive. Going to the supermarket or discount store might be the most obvious solution to this problem. But that could be a little more difficult on December 24, 2023 – due to the opening times of Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka and Kaufland.
Last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve is not possible everywhere this year. The reason: December 24, 2023 is a Sunday. So are all supermarkets and discount stores closed on Christmas Eve? Not entirely, there are exceptions.
Supermarket opening times on Christmas Eve 2023: How long will Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka and Kaufland be open on December 24th?
By The opening hours are regulated in paragraph 15 of the Law on Shop Closing (LadSchlG)., “if December 24th falls on a Sunday”. It specifically says: “Points of sale that predominantly sell food and luxury foods” – this also includes supermarkets and discounters such as Aldi, Lidl, Kaufland, Edeka and Rewe – are allowed to open their branches. But only for an extremely limited period of time: “A maximum of three hours until 2 p.m. at the latest.”
The opening hours of supermarkets and discounters on Christmas Eve (December 24, 2023) at a glance:
- Lidl: “Lidl in Germany leaves its Branches closed on Sunday, December 24thsaid a Lidl spokeswoman IPPEN MEDIA-Enquiry. But there are Exceptions: “Of this regulation are Branches at special locationssuch as in train stations, excepted. The opening times on these days are based on the opening hours law of the respective federal state and can be seen on a sign at the entrance to each branch.”
- Kaufland: Branches remain closed. “Our Kaufland branches will not be open on December 24th this year so that our employees can celebrate Christmas Eve in peace with their families and friends after a week of intensive sales,” a Kaufland spokesman explained IPPEN.MEDIA.
- Rewe: A spokesman in response to an IPPEN.MEDIA request: “The Rewe branches are on Christmas Eve closed.” But: “Exceptions only the Rewe stores in the Airports Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf and Rewe-To-Go markets in train stationswhich, due to their focus on convenience items for on-the-go shopping, are ultimately not traditional local supermarkets where you can do your Christmas dinner shopping.”
- Penny: Penny also closes its branches on Christmas Eve closed“, as a spokesman told IPPEN.MEDIA upon request.
- Aldi north: The majority of the branches remain closed. The company also announced: “Exceptions include individual markets in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony, where the so-called spa rule applies. This basically allows retailers in tourist regions to also open on Sundays. The responsible Aldi regional company decides individually about the opening of individual branches.”
- Aldi south: “Since December 24th falls on a Sunday, stay All Aldi Süd branches closed“said a spokeswoman when asked by IPPEN.MEDIA.
- Edeka: Branches will probably remain closed. But: exceptions are possible. As a spokesman told IPPEN.MEDIA, due to the company’s cooperative structure, the branches “decide independently on the design of their stores, this also includes the opening times”.
Supermarkets at airports and train stations are an exception. They are allowed to be open until 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve 2023, even though December 24th falls on a Sunday.
Last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve 2023 will be almost impossible
Spontaneous supermarket shopping on December 24th is proving to be a rather difficult undertaking this year. So you’d better have all your supplies together on Christmas Eve to whip up a great Christmas dinner.
Whether it will work out with a white Christmas is still an open question. Experts are not yet entirely sure whether there will be snow around Christmas Eve and the Christmas holidays. (kh)