The alarm state decreed in Spain for weeks has turned supermarkets into an essential service for the population. A service that, as is usual in Easter, is limited on opening days due to holidays, which are necessary more than ever for workers who have been working almost tirelessly to guarantee the supply of the population. This will also be the case during Easter most atypical in the recent history of Spain.
The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce launched a campaign on Monday to plan purchases during these days and avoid bottlenecks in supermarkets. However, the business hours policy is the responsibility of each Autonomous Community, even with different exceptions according to provinces and localities, and therefore there are differences between them. Even the holidays are not such depending on each territory
Therefore, always as a rule, users should note the following:
- The Community of Madrid has total freedom of hours , so supermarkets that so decide can open every day. Andalusia also allows total freedom for convenience stores between 300 and 500 square meters. Calls to areas of great tourist affluence, streets or specific areas of cities with special tourist movement also have freedom.
- The opening on Maundy Thursday is allowed by the laws of the Autonomous Communities of Extremadura, Galicia, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Baleares, Navarra, Murcia, Asturias, La Rioja and Melilla , in addition to the Community of Madrid where freedom It is total and those that meet the conditions of the Junta de Andalucía. This is stated in the calendars that each autonomy has set for this 2020 and that the Ministry collects. Castilla-La Mancha also set this day in the initial list, but it was unmarked once the Covid-19 crisis broke, deleting this date. This aroused the response of the central government asking the regions to keep the calendars.
- On Good Friday, establishments in the Valencian Community and Navarra can open.
- Saturday is a normal day, so supermarkets will be open throughout Spain during that date.
- Easter Sunday is also an exception set by the Valencian Community and La Rioja for commercial opening.
- Easter Monday : it is a holiday in the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, La Rioja, Navarra, the Basque Country and the Valencian Community . Castilla-La Mancha had set it as an exception, but as in the case of Maundy Thursday, it has backtracked.
However, to this we must add that each region has its particularities, leaving the municipalities some freedom to choose other opening days, to which we must add that each food distribution company has its own policies with holidays.
Therefore, and again as a general approach , which supermarkets are going to close this Easter and on what days?
Mercadona
The main supermarket chain in Spain does not change its policy regarding holidays. That is, it does not open in any Autonomous Community where it is a party, although the legislation allows it. It must be remembered that Mercadona does not open on any Sunday, nor in Madrid.
Therefore, the group chaired by Juan Roig will only open on Maundy Thursday in Catalonia and the Valencian Community, where that is a working day. Good Friday, a national holiday, will not open anywhere. Yes on Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, once again a holiday, it will close again, something that it will also do on Monday in the autonomous regions where that day is also not working.
Day
Dia has been one of the chains that has gained more market share in recent weeks, thanks to its proximity concept and its greater capillarity. Its opening strategy for this week is different from Mercadona's.
The only day where its supermarkets will close in all of Spain will be Good Friday, also in the Community of Madrid. However, it will open Thursday and Sunday wherever the law allows [see regional exceptions above], the same as Monday in the regions where it is a holiday.
Lidl
Lidl remains in a hybrid model. The company tells this newspaper that it plans to open the holidays (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) at reduced hours, from 10:00 to 15:00, although "some of our stores may not comply with this general rule for different reasons", not specified. Lidl recommends checking this link to search store by store.
In it, it can be seen that practically all the supermarkets in the Community of Madrid indicate that they will be closed on Good Friday, despite the fact that it is the region with the greatest commercial freedom and that Lidl's intention is to open in regions where "it is allowed" . The company did not explain what this circumstance is due to.
To field
Auchan Retail hypermarkets and supermarkets follow a philosophy similar to Dia's. In other words, its stores will open on public holidays in all those places where the regulations allow it [see list of exceptions]. In Catalonia it will open on Good Friday in Vilanova i la Geltru, where the city council does open both on Good Friday and Sunday, but not on Monday the 13th, a holiday in this community.
Carrefour
Also as a general rule, Carrefour supermarkets, both Express and Market, open in the Community of Madrid every day, including Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The same occurs in certain areas of Andalusia, the Valencian Community and La Rioja, as can be seen at this link.
The English Court
In general, the establishments that El Corte Inglés keeps open for the sale of food and other products, such as parapharmacies, will be open this Thursday except in Aragon and Castilla-La Mancha. On Friday in Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community and the Basque Country; and on Sunday in Madrid, the Valencian Community, Galicia, the Basque Country and Murcia.
Every day the Click & Car service will be operational.
Aldi
The chain of German origin details in this link the schedules of each of its centers for the coming days. As general considerations, it opens every day all its stores in the Community of Madrid; in Andalusia, it depends on the province and the shops, so it is recommended to consult the previous link; in the Basque Country, between Thursday and Monday they will only open on Saturday; while almost all of Barcelona open on Thursday, which is not a holiday there, and close until Monday, although with exceptions, so it is best to consult each case.
Save more
The Madrid chain, which like Mercadona also does not open on Sundays, confirms on its website that its supermarkets will be closed Thursday, Friday and Sunday, so they recommend making purchases in advance.
Eroski
Eroski stores in the Basque Country, Cantabria and Aragón will be closed every official holiday in each community. This is, Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday in the first two, and Thursday, Friday and Sunday in the Aragonese community.
In Navarra, the stores will open on Maundy Thursday, although with different hours. The supermarkets will do this from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the hypermarkets in Pamplona and Tudela from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The same occurs in La Rioja, that is, they will also open on Maundy Thursday at the same times.
In all the regions where Eroski has a presence, the company has decided to advance the opening of Saturday by half an hour, so the hours that day will be from 8:30 to 20:00.
Consum
The Valencian brand will open its supermarkets in Catalonia and the Valencian Community on Thursday as it is a working day. However, as a general rule, it has established that it will not open anywhere during the holidays, a policy similar to that set by Mercadona.
Sánchez Romero
The school, with supermarkets only in Madrid, opens on Maundy Thursday in Pozuelo and La Moraleja from 11:00 to 15:30, and in Madahonda, Paseo de la Castellana, Arturo Soria and Castelló-Goya from 10:00 to 15: 00. Those of Sor Angela de la Cruz, Mirasierra, Corazón de María and Puerta Hierro will remain closed. On Good Friday all stores will be closed.
BM Supermarkets
The Uvesco group brand has stores in the Basque Country, Cantabria, Navarra and Madrid. Different schedules will govern in each of them.
In the Basque Country, only two stores will open on public holidays: those at the Behobia shopping complex, in Irún, from 10:00 to 14:00; and that of the Federico García Lorca walk, in San Sebastián, from 10:00 to 16:00. On Saturday they will open all those with uninterrupted hours from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. those that usually have a party.
In Cantabria, the BM stores on Calle Leonardo Rucabado in Castro Udiales and Calle El Callejo de Laredo will open on Monday the 13th. Other holidays (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) will be closed. In Navarra and La Rioja, BM Supermercados will open on Maundy Thursday.
Supersol
All Supersol stores will be closed both on Thursday and Good Friday and on Sunday. In the rest of the week, including Saturday, the hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.