Tesco is to close all of its Express stores early this Sunday so staff can watch England in the final of the Euros.
After Gareth Southgate‘s Three Lions squad successfully secured their place in the final of European football‘s flagship tournament last night, the supermarketretailer was quick to announce its intentions of shutting up shop early especially for the highly-anticipated sporting event in just a couple of days time.
England are to face Spain in the final of UEFA Euro 2024 this Sunday night (14 July), following a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in last night’s semi final.
A penalty scored by captain Harry Kane in the first half, and a dramatic winning goal by Aston Villa’s star striker, Ollie Watkins, in the 89th minute was what lead England to the grand final in emphatic style.
A moment you are going to see again and again and again.
It was merely minutes after Watkins found the back of the net, and the on-pitch, in-stadium, and UK-wide celebrations had died down, that Tesco hopped straight onto social media to let shoppers know that its Express stores throughout England would be operating on reduced hours and closing their doors earlier than normal on Sunday.
The supermarket retailer wasted no time at all following Ollie Watkins’ 89th-minute winner to hop onto social media and announce its reduced opening hours this Sunday. Read Tesco’s statement in full here
Wasting no time at all in sharing its intentions, Tesco wrote in a statement shared to Instagram: “It’s time. Time for another massive final. That’s why we’re giving our incredible colleagues the time they deserve to enjoy it by closing every Express store across England at 7:30pm on Sunday.
“It’s the least we can do after all their hard work. And come kick-off, England deserve every little bit of support.”
Tesco operates more than 1,800 Express stores across England, and these smaller convenience stores generally operate with closing hours of 10pm or 11pm – but this Sunday, with the Euros final set to kick off at 8pm, they will shut up shop at the earlier time of 7:30pm to allow employees to head home and cheer on the lads.
Stores in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, however, will continue to remain open in line with their usual hours.
Tesco is closing all its Express stores early this Sunday so staff can watch England in the Euros final / Credit: England / The FA (via X)
All staff in England stores will are to still receive their normal pay despite the reduced hours, Tesco has confirmed, and those employees who do not want to watch the football will also be paid as normal too.
As the final falls on a Sunday, the retailer’s larger stores in England will already be closed by the time the match kicks off, and Tesco has reassured shoppers that all stores nationwide will reopen as normal on Monday morning (15 July) – with the majority open from 6am or 7am.
All online orders which have already been placed for Sunday evening willbe honoured and delivered as normal, Tesco has also confirmed.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
New data reveals a third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday
Emily Sergeant
Surprising new data has revealed that a third of Brits admits to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday.
After a long and tiring week, most of us would love the chance to clock off work a little earlier than usual on a Friday, but for a lot of workers, this isn’t always a possibility – and for some, they even have to work longer at the end of the week to make sure everything has been finished off and tied up before the weekend arrives.
But since there has been a noticeable rise in remote working and working from home, a new survey has revealed that working attitudes have changed.
Virgin Media has released new broadband data that reveals a drop in traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months – with as much as an 8% dip between 3-5pm compared to the winter, as remote workers clock off early.
A third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday / Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters | Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
The Friday traffic drop-off comes from Virgin Media’s broadband network analysis, which it says is a ‘reliable indicator’ of the connectivity habits of the British public.
Alongside the network data, Virgin Media also asked Brits about their work policies and working habits ij a bid to fully understand the trend.
Nearly a third (30%) of Brits say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer, but despite almost half of UK adults (48%) saying they’re not authorised to finish early on a Friday, 32% have admitted to regularly logging off with or without official permission.
Surprising new data has revealed Brits’ working habits / Credit: Chuttersnap (via Unsplash)
Many Brits have also confessed to working ‘on the move’ on a Friday afternoon too.
15% admitted to having worked from the train station as the weekend creeps nearer, as well as 14% from the park, 10% from the pub, and many as 30% of 18-24-year-olds worked from the car while travelling for the weekend.
“Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays,” commented Jeanie York, who is the Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.
“We’re continuing to boost our fixed and mobile networks so whether Brits are working from their local park, or finishing their work at home, we’re ready to keep them connected.”
Featured Image – Israel Andrade (via Unsplash)
News
Tiny Manchester pub brilliantly condemns ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech
Daisy Jackson
A micropub in Manchester city centre has spoken out about an ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech.
The Victoria Tap, a tiny little boozer at Manchester Victoria train station, strongly condemned any racist, homophobic or sexist conversations taking place in its venue.
The pub said ‘there is absolutely no room for it’ within its walls.
In a statement – which has been met with praise from customers and followers – they added that anyone bringing hate speech to the pub ‘can let the door kick you on the way out’.
The Victoria Tap wrote: “We’ve noticed an alarming rise in racist, homophobic and sexist slurs/comments/conversations lately and we just want to say that there is absolutely no room for it here.
“This is a safe space for everyone.
“If you, or someone in your group, want to disturb this philosophy, you can let the door kick you on the way out.”
The Victoria Tap has brilliantly condemned ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech
Praising their statement, one person wrote: “Great to read this. There is NO place for this. All public spaces should be welcoming.”
Another said: “Pubs should be welcoming environments for people of all walks of life. There’s no room for misogyny, racism or discrimination of any kind. Those who espouse those thoughts need a good hard look in the mirror.”
Someone else commented: “That’s how I see the Vic Tap. Great place for a safe quiet pint. Keep up the great work guys as it’s a fantastic venue.”
The Victoria Tap opened at Manchester Victoria back in 2023, completely transforming a space that was previously a bin store.
As well as its cosy interior, it has a small beer garden which overlooks the tram tracks in and out of the train station.
It’s operated by the same team behind the Piccadilly Tap and the even newer Oxford Tap.
We know exactly where we’ll be heading for our next pint now. Good work, Victoria Tap.
Emily Sergeant -
11th July 2024 
