German supermarket chain to close stores earlier due to energy crunch

As Germany faces a growing energy crisis, Aldi Nord, one of the country's leading retailers, has announced it will start closing its stores earlier in the evenings.

Operating hours of "numerous stores" would be adjusted, the company said on Twitter.

From November, stores will close at 8 p.m. (1800GMT), with the measure to be initially applied during the 2022-23 winter period.

Aldi Nord is not the only company in Germany to impose restrictions in the wake of the energy crisis.

As reported by German daily Bild, stores of electronics chain Saturn and department stores of the Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof group have already shut down their escalators.

Two stores of Swedish furniture company IKEA in the southwestern state of Saarland have also cut down their operating hours.

Retailer Otto Group has asked many employees to work from home, while heating its office buildings to just 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).

Volkswagen, the world's second-largest automaker, plans to heat its production halls to only 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit), with workers to be given warmer clothing in return.

Similarly, Jungheinrich, the world's third-largest intralogistics and mechanical engineering company, plans to distribute fleece jackets to its employees.