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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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
Northern Rail have announced their latest flash sale with train tickets available from just £2
Danny Jones
Finally, we’ve got some good news on the train lines once again, as Northern Rail has just announced the return of their fantastic flash sale, which sees literally millions of discounted tickets made available to the general public.
With the last promotion from Northern having delighted Brits up and down the country, the train company are once again offering affordable tickets, with prices starting from just £2.
The only catch is that you’ve got just a few days to make the most of the savings.
Confirming the flash sale across the Northern Assist social media accounts, the rail operator has now detailed both start and end dates, as well as the valid travel dates.
The 2025 Northern flash sale began at 8am this Tuesday, 30 September, with thousands of train journeys having already been booked.
A full list of all the routes with cut-price tickets on until Thursday, 2 October can be found HERE.
According to Northern, the top destinations with the most tickets available in Northern’s Flash Sale are as follows:
Manchester and Manchester Airport
Leeds
Bolton
Preston
Manchester Airport
Blackpool North
Shipley
Rochdale
Stockport
Bradford
Sheffield
Wigan Wallgate
Hebden Bridge
Blackburn
Meadowhall
Liverpool Lime Street
Skipton
Wilmslow
Doncaster
Ilkley
Hull
Wakefield Westgate
Although it remains an ever-essential network and the UK’s second-largest national rail service, the PR around Northern isn’t always positive when it comes to efficiency, quality and reliability.
Their estimated 2,650 daily lines across more than 500 stations often come under fire, especially in comparison to public transport down towards the capital.
With all that being said, the arrival of the latest Northern flash sale is a much-needed plus for the firm.
Commenting on this week’s flash sale, Northern’s commercial and customer director, Alex Hornby, said: “With three million tickets up for grabs, there’s something for everyone in Northern’s Flash Sale.
For our existing customers, it’s the perfect opportunity to visit somewhere new, and hopefully, we can encourage those who don’t currently use the train to give it a try.
We believe the Flash Sale will inspire everyone to explore everything our fantastic region has to offer, from bustling cities to the countryside and stunning coastlines. Customers will need to book early to avoid disappointment – once they’re gone, they’re gone!” You can grab your tickets online NOW.
Once again, the Northern Rail flash sale runs for just three days and closes this Thursday, 2 October, with tickets valid for travel strictly between Monday, 6 October and Friday, 24 October 2025.
Tickets can be bought on Northern’s app, online, at ticket offices and on ticket machines in stations managed by Northern – please make sure to check terms and conditions.
Featured Images — Publicity picture/El Pollock (via Geograph)
Shopping
Co-op opens new store dedicated entirely to ‘food on the go’ in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Bit of a sucker for a meal deal? Well Co-op has probably just launched your perfect concept then.
The supermarket has grown its brand-new ‘on the go’ micro store format with the opening of a new site right here in Greater Manchester, located in the ever-growing Stamford Quarter over in Altrincham.
Co-op’s ‘on the go’ concept is dedicated to serving food to take away and eat on the go by offering breakfast, lunch, and tea in a range of exciting new formats – from traditional meal deals, right through to the inclusion of a hot food counter and deli-inspired selections.
According to the retailer, the new Altrincham store has ‘taken cues’ from around the world to meet consumer demand for fast, high-quality food all throughout the day.
Co-op has opened a new store dedicated entirely to ‘food on the go’ in Greater Manchester / Credit: Richard Grange (Supplied)
Open right from 7am through to 7pm, breakfast is served first and foremost, before transitioning to lunch and then onto tea – or dinner, if you’re fancy – with the quick and convenient online home delivery also available all day long too.
After 7pm, this is when the store makes the move to online trading only, which most-importantly includes Co-op’s Irresistible Pizzas delivery service, where the pizzas are cooked and delivered in the community in minutes via Co-op’s partners Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats.
Co-op says it has grand plans to roll-out this new format of store in other high footfall locations across the UK.
The new micro store serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as delivery food / Credit: Richard Grange (Supplied)
“The whole team is excited to launch our new concept store in the Stamford Quarter,” commented Gary Williams, who is the Director of Store Optimisation at the Co-op.
“We continually look for new ways to get closer to our customers and deliver added convenience, and our new concept brings together an innovative blend of food-to-go propositions, with freshly prepared products designed to stand out in this vibrant and thriving community.
“Whether in store or online, we cater to ‘on-the-go’ meals throughout the day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner you will find delicious products, quick service, quality and value, and all in a great convenient location.”