Lidl supermarkets extending hours in stores across Czechia

Supermarket chain Lidl announced it is extending the hours of many of its stores across Czechia. Many locations in Prague and other big cities are now open to 10 p.m. and stores in other parts of the county are open to 9 p.m. In general, the stores are open an hour longer, so ones that used to be open to 8 p.m. are now open to 9 p.m., and ones that were open to 9 p.m. are now open to 10 p.m.

One branch will soon test even longer hours. As of July 1, the Lidl outlet on Prague’s Na Příkopě Street next to Hamley’s toy store will be open until 11 p.m. A list of all the stores with longer hours can be found on the Lidl website.

The Lidl chain is known for its low prices and a wide assortment of goods, which in addition to food also includes clothes, toys, and household items. But many small shops have had longer hours, catering to those who worked odd hours or just needed a few items in the evenings. Lidl will now be competing for this off-hour market segment.

Lidl did not give any detailed explanation for the change. On Facebook, they simply said: “Is the question ‘Should I buy something?’ also part of your daily communication? Then you will surely be happy to hear that we are extending opening hours in selected stores from June 1.”

The accompanying meme shows a sample conversation with one person asking another whether Lidl isn't already closed, and the partner saying it now has longer hours.

Response to the Facebook post was surprisingly negative with many people saying the longer hours posed problems for the employees who wouldn’t be able to see their families until late at night.

One person said that jobs like police or ambulance drivers require long hours, but being a shop assistant isn’t an essential service. Some people even called for shorter hours, with stores closing early on Saturdays and completely on Sundays as in Austria or Germany.

Lidl was also in the news recently for its dispute with Haribo, the makers of gummy bears and other soft candies. Currently, this brand is unavailable in Lidl outlets across Europe as the two sides could not agree on prices.