Supermarket war in court
Two cases are at play in court at the same time around the temporary Aldi in Nieuwegein. The first case was brought by competing supermarkets. They felt passed over, because Nieuwegein leased its land to Aldi to set up an ’emergency supermarket’. They were proved right by the judge: the municipality should not have favored Aldi just like that.
Under penalty of penalty payments, the municipality had to ensure that the lease contract would no longer be implemented. In other words: if the supermarket were to open, Nieuwegein would have to pay fines to the other supermarkets. The judge held that the municipality was responsible for the hassle that had arisen.
The second case followed: after the municipality unsuccessfully tried to keep the Aldi closed with fences, the municipality took Aldi to court. The supermarkets were on the side of the municipality in this case and their lawyers were therefore also in court. However, the judge decided that Aldi did nothing wrong and was allowed to remain open.