Aldi and Lidl stop selling non-essentials for Level 5 lockdown

Supermarket chains, Aldi and Lidl have put out statements outlining that they will have to cease selling non-essential items, following new restrictions put in place during the Level 5 lockdown period.

These non-essential items include toys, casual clothing and Christmas decorations, among other products found in their middle 'offer' aisles. However, they're hopeful that these products wll be able to go back on sale at a later date.

"Since the onset of the pandemic, we have worked to develop and implement plans to ensure our shoppers and employees can safely shop and work in our stores, whilst maintaining our robust and agile supply chain so that the communities we serve across the country have access to the food and essentials they need," Lidl's statement read.

"Since the Government’s announcement outlining the new Level 5 restrictions, we have taken a number of steps to ensure we are fully compliant with the new regulations. We immediately cancelled the advertisement of all non-essential items and removed these items from our website."

"Unfortunately some of these items will still appear in our weekly leaflet, which has been printed a number of weeks in advance and we apologise to customers who are left disappointed by this."

"We will not be putting on sale any items that are deemed non-essential – e.g. Christmas decorations, casual clothing and toys. We are also in the process of removing from sale any residual stock of previous non-essential promotions."

"We will continue to sell items that are classed as essential e.g. for upkeep of residence and businesses, safety clothing, repair and maintenance of cars and bikes etc in our middle aisles," they added.

"We hope to put any cancelled items on sale at a later date, in line with restrictions being lifted and customers can keep up to date through our social media channels and website," the statement concluded.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Aldi said, "While we understand customers may be disappointed that they will not be able to purchase previously advertised Specialbuy offers at this time, I would like to thank them for their understanding and patience."

"We are working hard to reschedule these fantastic products once restrictions are lifted to ensure everyone can get everything they need for Christmas in Aldi."