German RTL TV reported on the 23rd that German supermarket giant Aldi (North) has officially announced that most of the group's supermarket outlets will close earlier than 8 pm from November onwards.

Other supermarkets and stores in Germany also have plans to close early.

Aldi Supermarkets (divided into South and North) is one of the largest supermarket chains in Germany. According to the German statistics website Statista, Aldi (North) will have a total of 2,209 outlets in Germany in 2021.

In a statement, Aldi (North) said that from Nov. 1, its supermarkets will close earlier at 8 p.m., up from the current 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.

A supermarket spokesman told RTL TV that the measure applies to the 2022/2023 winter season. Energy costs are said to be a major cost item for the retail sector, mainly for refrigerated goods and lighting.

In addition, several IKEA locations in Germany and Austria have closed an hour earlier, and other German supermarkets are discussing similar measures.

The German retail industry is also considering energy savings in other areas, such as turning off exterior lighting at night and optimizing interior and refrigeration temperature settings.

The German weekly Focus reported that Saturn, a large German electrical appliance chain, shut down its escalators. Other stores are preparing to lower their indoor heating temperature settings in winter, and some are giving employees warm jackets in advance.

In previous years, German retail tended to close for an hour longer when the holiday season arrived. This year, due to fears of Russian-European energy conflicts or resulting energy shortages in winter, the retail industry no longer follows traditions, which many people understand.

Due to high energy prices, many German companies have introduced energy-saving programs to ease their financial difficulties. Germany's largest gas importer Uniper will close half of its headquarters office space while turning down the heating temperature in the other half of the office space.

Germany's "Rheinische Post" reported on the 24th, citing a spokesman for Uniper, that half of the company's headquarters building has turned off all electrical equipment and stopped cleaning; in the office space that remains open, the heating temperature will be lowered to 20 degrees Celsius.