Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, and Lidl 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 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.
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Here’s a rough guideline:
Christmas Eve: 10am / 11am – 4pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
New Year’s Eve: 10am / 11am – 5pm
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 hasn’t released standard operational hours over this Christmas period, so shoppers are encouraged to head to the retailer’s Store Locator to find out the opening times for the nearest branch.
What we do know is that most stores will be open on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, with hours varying from store to store, but all branches will be closed on Christmas Day.
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.
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Here’s a rough guideline:
Christmas Eve: 11am – 5pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
New Year’s Eve: 11am – 5pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local ASDA store here.
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Morrisons
19-23 December: 6am – midnight
Christmas Eve: 10am – 4pm
Christmas Da: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
27-30 December: 7am – 10pm
New Year’s Eve: 10am – 4pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, and more have adjusted their opening hours for the festive period / Credit: Tesco
Aldi
19-23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 9:30am – 4pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
27-30 December: 8am – 8pm
New Year’s Eve: 9:30am – 4pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
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Lidl
Lidl’s opening hours vary from store to store over the festive period.
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The discount retailer has, however, confirmed it will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, with many of its stores shut for Boxing Day too, but with times differing on the other days around this, customers are encouraged to check the Lidl Store Finder for their local branch.
Check the opening times for your local Lidl store here.
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Co-op
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 and Boxing Day as a standard.
Here’s a guideline:
19-22 December: 6am – 10pm
23 December: Open until 10pm (select stores)
Christmas Eve: Open until 4pm (select stores)
Christmas Day and Boxing Day: CLOSED
Check the opening times for your local M&S store here.
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Featured Image – Morrisons
Shopping
Seven Brothers have brought back a beloved British fizzy drink, only now it’s boozy
Danny Jones
Local brewmasters Seven Brothers have brought back one of the UK’s most beloved former fizzy drinks and reimagined it as their latest beer.
The Salford-based brewery, who now boast multiple locations across the North, is no stranger to perfecting creative craft beers, but the latest addition to the 7 Bros lineup is sure to be as firm a favourite as the original soft drink.
If it wasn’t already blatantly obvious, we’ll give you a hint: this tropical twist on pale ale contains hints of pineapple and grapefruit – and it looks an awful lot like an old can of Lilt…
Yes, bringing back the British corner shop staple as an alcoholic version, no less, let us introduce you to Seven Brothers’ new ‘Lilty’ flavour.
Still part of Coca-Cola, who also own the likes of Fanta, Powerade, Minute Maid, Schweppes and many more, Lilt has since been rebranded as ‘Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit’.
However, it doesn’t have quite the same bright white, green and yellow scheme, and maybe it is just the packaging, but it does feel like it hasn’t quite tasted the same since.
Fortunately, we now have an alternative that not only captures all of those Caribbean and citrusy notes but that packs plenty of punch at 6% per tin.
The originalThe upgradeLilt didn’t walk so ‘Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit’ could run; it was so ‘Lilty’ could get you well on your way to tipsy. (Credit: Press shots)
Now available in 440ml cans, this is actually the latest iteration of the first attempt at the drink launched back in July 2024, only now they’ve fine-tuned the recipe, and we can’t wait to drink by the gallon-full, or at least by the pint.
The description reads as follows: “This lilty little pale ale is a tongue-tingling throwback to fruity pop days gone by. Packed with pineapple and grapefruit flavours for a proper tropical punch.
“Immerse yourself in a wave of vibrant, tropical flavours with a generous double-hit of Amarillo and Mosaic hops taking centre stage. Juicy, fruity, fresh and fun with no bitter goodbyes, it’s basically sunshine in a tin.” It also happens to be vegan, which is a nice little bonus, isn’t it?
Seven Brothers’ brand new flavour is being rolled out as we speak, and we suspect it won’t be long before you see plenty of people asking for a ‘totally tropical taste’ at the taproom, their Ancoats Beerhouse or over in Media City (rest in peace, the Middlewood Locks site).
Viral cosmetics brand P. Louise to bring exclusive pop-up to Trafford Centre this Christmas
Thomas Melia
Huge cosmetics and beauty brand P.Louise has announced an exclusive pop-up set to take place in Trafford Centre this Christmas.
Greater Manchester makeup artist turned business woman, Paige Louise, gained lots of traction online for her baby pink-packaged makeup products, branded after her nickname, P.Louise, and now the company has announced its bringing an exclusive pop-up to Manchester’s Trafford Centre just in time for Christmas.
After such a success last year, the pop-up event, aptly-titled ‘Pinkmas’, will be returning to Manchester, and its bringing P.Louise’s much-loved makeup brand to life through an interactive display at the Trafford Centre.
Visitors can expect to explore the magical world of ‘Pinkmas’ through three different immersive winter zones.
P.Louise Pinkmas is coming to the Trafford Centre this festive season / Credit: Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
Much like her P.Louise Empire site over in Stockport, Pinkmas elevates this experience by sprinkling a little bit of Christmas magic over the baby pink brand and its festive-themed makeup products.
Each of the interactive zones will serve their own purpose, encouraging you to get stuck in with a variety of activities all relating to the festive season.
You can enjoy decorating your own gingerbread treats in Mrs Claus’ Kitchen, personalising and making a keepsake of best-selling product ‘Bad B*tch’, all before writing a letter to Santa at the ‘Post Me Pretty Room’.
Each person who attends can expect to spend up to three hours travelling through each pretty pink zone, guided by the P.Louise elves on a story-led tour.
After all that wonderland wonderfulness, there’s only one thing missing from this festive extravaganza, and what screams Christmas more than a pantomime? A P.Louise Pantomime though, of course, with a guest appearance from Santa himself.
As you venture through the Pinkmas pop-up, there’ll be moments for you to get your hands on some P.Louise goodies and gift sets, as well as sampling the tasty treats from the food and drink stalls.
Get ready to deck the halls with blush, gloss and glamour this festive season, as P.Louise Pinkmas is residing in Trafford Centre for the entire Christmas period.
Visitors can expect to step into a world of glitz and glam when P.Louise Pinkmas visits Trafford Centre / Credit: Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
“I wanted to create the memories I never had, and above all else, give others the chance to make those magical moments,” commented Paige Williams, who is the dynamic founder and CEO of P.Louise.
Simon Layton, Centre Director at Trafford Centre, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Paige Williams, a brilliant local success story, and her hugely popular brand for a festive experience that’s full of sparkle and surprises.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th December 2023 
