Both Aldi and Lidl have pledged to close their stores early if England gets to the World Cup grand final on Sunday.
The German discounters have promised staff across the UK that they’ll have the chance to watch England in the final should they make it through on Sunday July 15, vowing to shut shop an hour before kick-off.
Lidl, which is open until 8pm on Sunday in some locations, will open early at 9.30am and close at 3pm, with kick-off set for 4pm.
We’re pretty sure it’s coming home right? 🏴 If England reach the World Cup Final we’re gonna close all our stores in England early at 3pm on Sunday 15th July. We want our colleagues to be the 12th man cheering on the lads. #BringItHome pic.twitter.com/3RjNJkdTeH
— Aldi Stores UK (@AldiUK) July 9, 2018
“As the official supermarket of the England Football team, we absolutely believe it’s coming home, which is why we are planning to close stores an hour early, and take part in what we hope will become a day of national celebration,” UK boss Christian Härtnagel said.
Aldi, which usually shuts at 5pm on Sundays, will also let its employees leave at 3pm.
Its UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley added: “With the final scheduled to kick off at 4pm on the Sunday afternoon, we want to make sure that, if England make it that far, our team have time to finish work and get home to watch the match, just like everyone else.”
As the *official* supermarket of the England Football team, let's make *this* announcement official… *when* our boys make it to the final this Sunday, it will be early doors across our English stores. #3pmClosing#ItsComingHome pic.twitter.com/k81iDwxRGt
— @LidlGB (@LidlGB) July 9, 2018
This comes ahead of England’s semi-final match with Croatia on Wednesday evening, which is predicted to see more than 20 million fans tune in.
Retailers have already experienced a sales boost from England’s continued World Cup campaign, with everything from beer, BBQ food and M&S suits a la Gareth Southgate experiencing a spike in demand.
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