Abstract:
Aldi, the biggest discounter in Germany, started to systematically extend shopping hours of its stores in 2016. We interpret the decision to extend opening hours of a specific Aldi store as entry into a new market. By using a novel data set containing the opening hours of nearly all German grocery retailers, we find that consumer and firm learning influence that decision. The presence of a nearby Aldi already opened longer increases the probability that a given Aldi extends its opening hours. However, if a nearby competitors store is short opened, the probability that Aldi extends opening hours decreases.