Aldi set to axe key service in all its supermarkets within days
ALDI has confirmed it is axing a key service from over 170 stores within days following its launch four years ago.
It comes as it makes a move away from online services and looks to grow the number of stores it runs across the UK.
The German discounter will no longer offer click and collect at 174 stores after this Sunday (August 18).
The service works by letting customers browse items online and then choosing a slot to pick up them up from the nearest branch.
The £4.99 service also lets customers sit and wait in their car in the car park and have a member of staff bring their shopping outside.
The discount chain launched the service at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in September 2020 and by 2021 it was offered across more than 200 stores.
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But it has since started axing the service from dozens of branches since, including 12 in July 2023.
Aldi said it was only ever offered on a trial basis, with it being under constant review.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “At Aldi, our focus is on providing customers with high-quality products at the lowest possible prices.
"One of the ways we keep our prices low for customers is by running the most efficient supermarket business in Britain.
"As a result, we’ve made the decision to bring our Click and Collect service to an end so we can focus on doing just that."
The latest announcement from Aldi means after August 18 the retailer will no longer offer any online services.
In January last year, The Sun exclusively revealed the retailer was to pull the plug on its online operation by axing home deliveries.
Aldi set up delivery for Specialbuys in 2015, but confirmed it would wind down the service before the end of 2023.
In 2022, the discount supermarket stopped working with food delivery app Deliveroo after establishing a relationship in 2020.
Aldi said at the time that home deliveries were never part of the company's long-term business model, adding it was prioritising its click and collect service instead.
WHAT OTHER SUPERMARKETS OFFER
If Aldi's latest move has left you considering taking your custom elsewhere, there are plenty of other retailers still offering a click and collect service.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's offers click and collect across 322 UK stores, with customers able to do their shopping online then pick a one hour slot to pick everything up.
Shoppers have to pay a minimum 50p charge to collect items worth £25 or over, otherwise there is a £4 surcharge.
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Customers needing their groceries in a hurry can order same-day click and collect and are charged £2 for orders over £25 and £6 for orders under £25.