Aldi's Paris fireworks
Aldi has been criticised for selling a Paris fireworks range Aldi

German supermarket chain Aldi faces criticism after a New Year's Eve fireworks rocket set called "Paris" hit the shelves six weeks after terrorist bomb and gun attacks in the French capital killed 130 people.

Criticism of the supermarket's Aldi Süd branch in northern Germany has been growing since the fireworks, described by their manufacturers as 'Bright Bomb rockets', went on sale on 29 December. German specialist website Meedia described it as the "marketing gaffe at New Year", Die Welt proclaimed "Aldi embarrasses itself", while the Huffington Post called it "bad taste".

On Twitter, users joined in the criticism.

Meedia revealed that the branch's northern German Aldi Nord wing – which is separate to Aldi Sud – is selling the "premium family selection" under the name "Metropolis" rather than "Paris".

A spokeswoman for Aldi said the rockets were part of a product range named after famous world cities, with others entitled Las Vegas, Sydney, Barcelona and Rio.

She said the Paris range began to be manufactured in February, months before the November Paris attacks. In Germany, millions is spent on fireworks for new year's celebrations, but their sale is tightly regulated, and they can only be sold three days before the celebration.

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