Aldi has officially axed its specialbuys home delivery service - and we're heartbroken

Aldi announced in January that it would be axing its online delivery of Specialbuys later in the year, and that time has officially finally come. And while we knew this change was on its way, that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

The Specialbuy aisle has long been an Ideal Home secret for sourcing on-trend furniture, cookware and even DIY supplies at amazing prices. We naturally rejoiced when it recreated the aisle experience online with a home delivery option, with many cult homeware buys being available exclusively online.

We waited in virtual queues to snap up the cult Aldi egg chair and the sellout Aldi heated airer. However, as of July 2023, the only way to get your hands on a Specialbuy will be to head in-store to the middle aisles. And unfortunately, that means that once the product is gone… it’s gone.

The decision to withdraw Aldi's online home delivery option started with the store withdrawing its wine and spirits delivery back in late January.

At the time, an Aldi spokesperson said: 'We keep our prices low by being the most efficient retailer in Britain and we have therefore taken the decision to stop selling wine and spirits online for home delivery from later this month. 

'We will also stop selling our Specialbuys online for home delivery later this year.

'We are working with our colleagues to understand the impact of this change for our people.

'This will involve exploring different options for our colleagues across Aldi.'

For a while, it wasn’t clear when exactly the online operation for Specialbuys would be winding down, but a report from The Grocer suggested it could be Autumn. However, it seems as though Aldi decided to put this plan in motion a little earlier. 

Today, the Specialbuys section of the Aldi website simply says, 'You may have noticed some changes around here! You can no longer purchase Specialbuys on our website for home delivery, but do not worry, our amazing Specialbuys are still available to purchase in store.'

It was noted that this change to the website came after Aldi's huge sales growth led the retailer to decide to axe the costs of an online business. 

Instead, the retailer is planning to focus its efforts on expanding its number of stores across the UK. Aldi currently has over 950 stores and plans to open its 1,000th this year. 

That should come as some good news to fans who currently don't have an Aldi nearby. If things go to plan, there could be one opening very soon! 

In recent years, Aldi has expanded its bulky furniture offerings, including a scalloped bed frame and even a rattan wardrobe. It is still unclear how these types of Specialbuys will be affected now that the online store is closed or whether they will still be available to buy in the middle aisle.

We have contacted Aldi for more information and will, of course, keep you in the loop on how to get your hands on the best Specialbuys in-store going forward.