Merchants are in no rush to extend store opening hours – some chains are considering what decision to make

I don’t see the need to extend business hours

Vaida Budrienė, Iki’s Director of Communications, explained to Delfi that during the second quarantine, the retail network did not reduce working hours and worked until 10 pm and 11 pm, and it is not necessary to extend the working hours yet.

“So far, there really are no traffic jams that need to be expanded.

However, as the government passes stricter quarantine conditions and retail chains further restrict customer flows to ensure safe shopping, we encourage shoppers to arrive during off-peak hours when traffic is lower, ”he said, and added that the lowest customer flows are monitored on weekdays. and on Saturdays from the opening of the store until 10 am, as well as from 8 pm until the store closes.

During the festive period, the opening hours of the Iki chain stores will look like this: on December 24 they will be open until 8:00 p.m., on the first day of Christmas they will be closed at all, and on December 26 they will be open from 9 at 21 h. On New Year’s Eve, the shops will be open until 8:00 p.m. and on January 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Lidl: current working hours are optimal

Lidl Lietuva, a public relations representative for Lidl Lietuva, also stated that the retail chain does not plan to change or extend working hours yet.

“Currently, we do not plan changes in working hours, because so far the current working hours are optimal.

Most of our stores are open as standard, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and several stores open from 7 a.m. in the morning, or work a little longer, until 11 p.m.

We follow the tradition and for the fourth year in a row we will not be working on 1st St. on Christmas Day and January 1st. On other days of the holiday season, all Lidl stores will also be shorter. S t. On Christmas Eve, the shops will be open until 6:30 p.m. and on New Year’s Eve until 8:30 p.m. The second St. On Christmas Day, all Lidl stores will be open from 09:00. in the morning until 8 pm night, ”he said.

Such possibilities are not ruled out

Renata Keršienė, public relations director at Rimi Lietuva, commented that it is not planned to extend the working hours of the retail network in the near future, but that possibility is not ruled out.

“The decision to extend working hours on the eve of the big holidays, that is, Christmas and New Years, was made by Rimi earlier (before the stricter bans went into effect) to allow shoppers to shop safely, avoiding possible large meetings and the need to control them. <..>

At the moment, we are monitoring the situation; now it is important to understand how the new security requirements will change the needs of customers, the nature of their purchases, the flows. If we see the need to extend business hours earlier for the convenience of customers and, most importantly, safety, we will consider such an option, ”said the representative.

According to R. Keršienė, the stores of the hyperformat chain Rimi will be open for one more hour, until 11:00 p.m., the first days of the Christmas week, that is, from December 21 to 23 inclusive. Some super format stores will be open for a longer time, also until 11 pm: in the district of Klaipėda – Dituva and Slengiai, in Vilnius – Naujoji Vilnia and Tarandė, Telšiai and Biržai.

“We are extending the working hours of the larger and partly smaller Rimi these days, taking into account the current situation, when it is very important that customers feel safe and at the same time have the opportunity to buy comfortably. This is ensured by the large areas of Rimi stores and the longer working hours, which will protect against the need to rush and adapt to standard working hours, ”said Irina Miklienė, Rimi Lietuva’s manager of supermarket management.

According to her, a longer working day will ensure a more uniform distribution of customer flows, help avoid the need to regulate them and thus facilitate the work of store employees and allow them to feel safe.

One more hour, that is, until 11 at night, all Rimi super and hyper-format supermarkets with names will also be open the first days of the last week of the year, that is, from December 28 to 30. inclusive. On the eve of the new, on December 31, an hour more than last year, until 9:00 p.m., all the stores of the Rimi chain will be open. Before last year, it will open its doors and on January 1 it will meet with customers at 10 am.

“This vacation will be different for everyone, so we strive so that at least shopping doesn’t cause additional concerns for customers.

We hope that the extended working hours will give them more freedom and opportunities to choose, ”said director of supermarket management Rimi Lietuva.

The decision will be made later.

Ernesta Dapkienė, director of the Maxima Communication and Image Department, said that no decision has yet been made on changes to working hours.

“We are currently monitoring and analyzing how the new quarantine restrictions are affecting customer flows. After assessing the situation, we will make an appropriate decision that would ensure a safe and convenient purchase for customers,” he said.

Speaking about the retail chain’s opening hours during the Christmas season, the representative assured that on December 24, Christmas Day, all Maxima stores will be shorter, until 7 pm. On the first St. On Christmas Day, the Maxima stores will be closed and on December 26, the second St. On Christmas Day, the doors of the Maximos stores will be open for shoppers starting at 9 a.m. and will be open until normal closing time. On New Years Eve, December 31, the Maxima stores will be open until 9 pm 2021 The Maxima store will open its doors on January 1 and will be waiting for customers starting at 12 noon. and it will run until normal closing time.

“We see that people are getting ready for Christmas this year and already at the end of November they started buying both holiday home decor items and food for holiday meals, which can be frozen or placed on the shelves in home kitchens. over a longer period of time. We hope that the habit of planning purchases that forms during the quarantine will allow people to prepare for the holidays safely, without stress or rush, “said E. Dapkienė.

No changes planned yet

Norfa spokesperson Darius Ryliškis said we will not see any major changes to the retail network’s working hours in the near future.

“So far (we do not plan to extend business hours),” he said, reporting that during St. Norfa stores will be closed on Christmas and the first day of the New Year.

“On other days, the stores will be shorter or open later than usual,” he said.

The shops are scheduled to be open until 7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will not be open at all on the first day of Christmas and January 1. On the second day of Christmas, December 26, the stores will open at 9 a.m., and on December 31, they will only be open until 8 p.m.