New Year’s Eve: shortened opening hours in stores – general store closure on January 1

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 12. 31. 13:05

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Opening hours vary greatly from chain to chain on December 31st, with many stores closing earlier than usual. Stores are typically closed on January 1st. The year 2026 will start with a longer break for many, so many people will do their last big shopping on the 31st.

Quick overview: grocery chains (December 31st)

Most common New Year’s Eve closings:

Aldi: typically until 4:00 PM
Auchan: typically until 16:00
Lidl: typically until 16:00, but may vary by store
Penny: typically until 14:00
Spar / City Spar: typically until 14:00
Interspar: often until 16:00
- Exception: may differ for gas stations/express units, even with longer opening hours
Tesco: typically until 18:00
CBA / Coop: not uniform (due to franchise and store level differences), typically shortened opening hours

Drugstores (December 31st)

Müller: in several locations until 14:00
dm / Rossmann: often different from store to store, so it’s worth checking the opening hours of the given store before you go

Furniture and DIY stores (December 31 and January 1)

IKEA: closed on December 31st and January 1st (online ordering generally available)
OBI: several locations closed on December 31st, closed on January 1st, then typically normal from January 2nd order
Praktiker / JYSK / Mömax–Möbelix–XXXLutz: shortened opening hours or closures are common, with differences from store to store

Why is this day “chaotic”? (commercial logic)

- Traffic is diverted to chains that stay open longer (typically those that close later on New Year’s Eve benefit from last minute shopping).
- Due to the longer holiday period, more “everything now” shopping, which leads to cashier congestion and faster fresh goods run-out can bring.