Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi, and M&S are among the supermarkets to adjust opening hours at stores across the UK during the festive period.
As Christmas is fast approaching, most of us will have already started to stock up on food and drink for the big day ahead of time, but with so much to prepare for, it’s pretty easy to forget something important – which tends to leave us running to the shops before 25th.
While some have probably opted for home deliveries or Click & Collect services, others still prefer to shop in store.
To help you make sure everything is sorted, we’ve pulled together a list of all the major supermarket opening hours over the festive period, so grab your bags for life and get your shopping list at the ready, because Santa is on his way and he’ll be expecting his annual dose of mince pies.
Here’s a roundup list of supermarket opening hours.
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Tesco
Shoppers are being advised to check the Tesco Store Locator for the festive opening times at their local, as different branches may be operating different hours, however, most stores are operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, as well as being closed all day on Christmas Day.
Here’s a rough guideline:
Monday 23 December: 6am – 12pm
Christmas Eve: 6am – 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 6am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local Tesco store here.
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Sainsbury’s
Just like Tesco, Sainsbury’s will be operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, as well as being closed on Christmas day, but shoppers are encouraged to head to the retailer’s Store Locator to find out the opening times for their nearest branch.
Monday 23 December: 6am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 6am to 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am to 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 8am – 8pm
You can check the opening times for your local Sainsbury’s store here.
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Asda
Following along the same lines as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, Asda shoppers are being advised to check the Asda Store Locator for the festive opening times at their local store, as different branches are operating different hours, however, most stores are operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, as well as being closed all day on Christmas Day.
Here’s a rough guideline:
Monday 23 December: 5am to 10pm
Christmas Eve: 5am – 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local ASDA store here.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, and more have adjusted their opening hours for the festive period / Credit: Tesco
Morrisons
Morrisons is open throughout the festive season, just like its other competitions, and will only closing on Christmas Day, but hours will vary so you’ll need to check the opening times for your local.
Monday 23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 5am to 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am to 6pm
Check the opening times for your local Morrisons store here.
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Aldi
Aldi stores across the UK are set to close of the three major festive bank holidays this year, meaning doors will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, with reduced hours in operation on the days surrounding it.
Here’s what you need to know:
Monday 23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 7am – 6pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 December: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 29 December: 9.30am – 4pm
Monday 30 December: 8am – 8pm
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
You can find out more about the supermarket’s decision to shut up shop on the three festive bank holidays this year here.
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Lidl
Lidl has released a list of its festive opening hours, and just like Aldi, will also be closing most of its stores on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, but you’ll want to check Lidl’s website to find out more information.
Just like many other retailers on this list, Co-op’s opening times vary from store to store over the festive period, but the retailer has confirmed it will be operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day – with all branches closed on Christmas Day across the UK as a standard.
Shoppers are being urged to check the Co-op Store Finder for the opening hours for their nearest branch here.
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M&S
Once again, M&S is another retailer where festive opening hours differ from store to store, so it’s best to check your local branch specifically, but what we do know is that all stores across the UK will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day as a standard.
Monday 23 December: 6am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 6am – 7pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 December: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 29 December: 11am – 5pm
Monday 30 December: 8am – 9pm
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
Check the opening times for your local M&S store here.
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Featured Image – Morrisons
Shopping
The UK has a new cheapest supermarket for the first time in nearly two years
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has officially been dethroned, as the UK has a new cheapest supermarket for the first time in nearly two years.
We know that two years doesn’t sound like that long of a timeframe, but when you consider the fact that consumer choice company Which? names the UK’s cheapest supermarket every month based on its latest data, you begin to realise that it’s a slightly more impressive feat than it initially sounds.
For the past 21 months, Aldi has reigned supreme in the Which? rankings – claiming the title of the UK’s cheapest on a consecutive basis.
As it does every month, Which? checked the prices of 76 popular branded and own-brand groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets throughout July to see how they compared, with items including things like Hovis sliced bread, milk, and cheese.
For each supermarket, the company works out the average price of each item across the month, then adds those up to get each one’s average total price.
The average price for a shop of all the 76 items in July would’ve set Lidl shoppers back £128.40, compared to £129.25 at Aldi.
Lidl has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket / Credit: Lidl GB
The next cheapest after Lidl and Aldi was Asda, which doesn’t offer loyalty prices in the same way its competitors, but even then, the price was 9% more than at Lidl for our shopping list.
Meanwhile, the latest data found that shopping at Tesco without a loyalty card was still cheaper than shopping at Morrisons with one.
Sainsbury’s was running Nectar price promotions on 15 items on our list, while Tesco had Clubcard prices on 16, Lidl had three items with a loyalty discount, and Morrisons had More Card scheme discounts on only two items in the basket.
Aldi has been dethroned for the first time since October 2023 / Credit: Aldi UK
On the other end of the spectrum, as you might expect, was Waitrose – with the price for the 76 items here setting shoppers back £170.91 in total, which is more than £42, or 33%, more than Lidl.
Waitrose also offers some loyalty prices to members, but there were none for items on the Which? shopping list this month.
When it comes to annual grocery price inflation, this figure was found to have jumped to 5.2% in the four weeks leading up to 13 July, according to market analysis from Worldpanel by Numerator, which is the highest level since January 2024.
Prices are rising faster for items such as chocolate, butters and spreads, and fresh meat, and they are falling fastest for dog food, sugar, confectionery, and laundry.
Featured Image – Aldi
Shopping
Opening date for Britain’s first standalone Primark Home store in Manchester announced
Emily Sergeant
The opening date of Britain’s first standalone Primark Home store here in Manchester has been announced.
In case you hadn’t heard, it was announced earlier last month that our region had been chosen as the first place to get a dedicated Primark Home store.
Following the opening of its debut Home location in Belfast, Primark went on to confirm that the home of its first ever Great Britain site will be here in Greater Manchester – arriving at the popular Trafford Palazzo this summer.
The 11,900 sq ft, two-floor store will bring together the very best of Primark’s interiors offering, all under one roof.
Manchester shoppers can discover an expanded range of homeware and lifestyle essentials to give their home the glow-up it deserves, including high-quality essentials like cotton bedding and towels, soft furnishings, small furniture, and quirky ceramics.
The new store will feature Primark’s recently-launched ‘Edit’ – an elevated collection of home products such as chic tableware, plush towels, and luxury home fragrances.
It will also include a dedicated Travel Shop to help customers get holiday-ready all year round, with a range of stylish and practical travel essentials.
Primark is opening its first dedicated Home store in Manchester this summer / Credit: Primark Corporate
The addition of the new Primark Home at Trafford Palazzo doesn’t mean that any of the other Primark shops across Greater Manchester will be going anywhere though, so shoppers can still continue to get their Primark fix at the main Trafford Palazzo store, as well as on Market Street in Manchester city centre, and right through to the boroughs in places like Bolton, Oldham, Bury, and Wigan.
“The opening of Primark Home at Trafford Palazzo is an incredibly exciting moment for us,” commented Mark Whittaker, who is the Managing Director at Peel Retail and Leisure.
“Not only because we are the first destination in Great Britain to do so, but the opening is going to be adding a leading concept to our already unique mixture of immersive shopping and leisure experiences.
“Primark Home will have something for everyone, and we look forward to the store opening in summer.”
The store will bring together the very best of Primark’s interiors offering, all under one roof / Credit: Primark Corporate
Ceara Doyle, who is the Store Manager at Primark Trafford Palazzo, added: “It’s incredibly exciting to be bringing the Primark Home concept to Trafford, and I know there’s already lots of anticipation locally for opening day.
“We’re busy working behind the scenes to bring the new space to life, alongside a refresh of our main Trafford store, and we can’t wait to welcome shoppers through the doors.”
Primark Home store will officially be opening down at Trafford Palazzo on Friday 29 August, and launch day plans are set to be announced it due course so keep your eyes peeled.
Emily Sergeant -
17th December 2024 
