Depending on the spin, Lidl is either the first or among the first grocery chains operating in the U.K. to remove candy from all its checkout lanes.
Last year, the limited assortment grocer announced it was reducing the number of checkouts with candy, pointing to a study conducted with customers, which showed 70 percent preferred to use a "healthy till" when family food shopping.
In response, Lidl replaced chocolates and other "treats" with fresh fruit and juice in some of its stores as part of an initiative to promote healthier foods to its customers. The result, according to Lidl, was that sales at its healthy checkouts performed better than those with candy. That performance, in turn, led Lidl to announce it was removing candy from all its checkouts in all its stores across the U.K.
"We know how difficult it can be to say no to pester power, so by removing sweets and chocolates from our tills we can make it easier for parents to reward children in healthier ways," Ronny Gottschlich, managing director, Lidl U.K., told the Guardian.
Both Tesco and Sainsbury's, according to the Guardian, have removed sweets from their supermarket checkouts. The chains continue to sell candy near registers in their convenience stores.