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.
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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.
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“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.
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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
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Emily Sergeant -
11th July 2024 
