Most major supermarket chains have released opening times for the August Bank Holiday this weekend to allow shoppers to plan ahead.
Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Co-op and Iceland are among the chains that have released information on opening hours. Whilst some stores are continuing with business as usual, others will be operating seasonal hours this bank holiday weekend.
Here’s everything you need to know:
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Asda
Asda has released its opening times ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend.
Whilst usual opening hours are expected to commence at stores throughout Greater Manchester, some branches have reduced hours on Monday 31st August and instead of being open from 8am to 10pm, they will be open from 8am to 8pm, so it’s advised to check ahead.
For more information on your local store, please refer to Asda’s store locator here.
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Tesco
Tesco opening hours are dependent on the type of store you visit.
Some Tesco superstores are operating shorter opening hours over the bank holiday weekend, between 8am and 6pm, rather than the usual 8am to 10pm.
Most smaller express stores are still operating their usual hours however, which vary from store to store.
For more information on your local store, please refer to Tesco’s store locator here.
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Morrisons
Usual opening hours will apply at Morrisons stores throughout Greater Manchester during this August bank holiday weekend, but these times can vary from store to store, so make sure you double check ahead of time.
For more information on your local store, please refer to Morrisons’ store locator here.
Sainsbury’s
Opening hours are set to continue as normal at Sainsbury’s stores, but some branches are operating seasonal hours for the August bank holiday and will be opening between 8am and 8pm, so checking in advance is advisable.
For more information on your local store, please refer to the Sainsbury’s store locator here.
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Aldi
Aldi is operating during its usual hours, with stores opening between the following times on these dates:
Saturday 29th August: 8am – 10pm
Sunday 30th August: 10am – 4pm
Monday 31st August: 8am – 8pm
Opening times tend to vary from store to store, so it’s advised to check with your local branch before making trips and you can do so via Aldi’s store locator here.
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Lidl
It’s set to be business as usual at Lidl stores across Greater Manchester this weekend, with stores open as normal from 8am to 10pm.
For more information on your local store, please refer to Lidl’s store locator here.
M&S
All M&S Simply Food stores across Greater Manchester are expected to be open this Bank Holiday weekend, but opening times may vary, so you’ll want to check ahead of any trips.
For more information on your local store, please refer to the M&S store locator here.
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Co-op
It’s looking set to be business as usual a Co-op this weekend.
Although, in an update regarding opening times on it’s website, Co-op said: “During bank holidays and special times of year, some of our stores may open later and close earlier than normal”, so it’s advised to check ahead of any trips.
For more information on your local store, please refer to the Co-op store locator here.
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Iceland
It’s been confirmed that Iceland stores across Greater Manchester will be open this Bank Holiday Monday, however opening and closing times for each store may vary, so it’s best to check before making any trips.
For more information on your local store, please refer to the Iceland store locator here.
Trending
Brand new venue confirmed as the host of The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness
Danny Jones
The magnificent Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is back this year, and with the 2025 event fast approaching, they have announced arguably their biggest host venue yet, setting up in camp in a brand new food and drink hall.
Having housed the incredible charity gathering from Freight Island last year, it was always going to take some beating this time around, but somehow they’ve managed to.
The annual relay run in aid of Greater Manchester’s homeless community will be taking place at none other than the city centre’s recently unveiled House of Social, with the building’s wider student living quarters serving as the perfect fit for the initiative first thought up by university friends back in 2018.
Announced this week, House of Social will be teaming up with the wider First Street neighbourhood to look after the hordes of incredible runners this year.
Jamie Hills, Development Director at Ask Real Estate – who operate the ever-growing First St complex – said of volunteering as this year’s hosts: “First Street is thrilled to welcome and fuel the incredible runners of The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness.
“As the city’s hotspot for community events and culture, we’re proud to be a place where community thrives, so we’re incredibly excited to support this important initiative. With our fantastic on-site amenities like House of Social, we’re ready to keep those participating powered up and going strong!”
As for co-founder Tom Lewis, speaking to The Manc, he said: “We’re excited to return for our 7th edition, with Manchester being our flagship event.
“Through being hosted at House of Social in First Street, we’re hoping to make this year’s edition the best and biggest yet, aiming to raise £50,000 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity Scheme, ‘A Bed Every Night’.
“We’d love to see you all at the event, plus bring your friends and workplace to. There are paces for everyone, including walking laps.”
In November 2024, not only did the fundraising phenomenon mark its first-ever expansion with an inaugural event in Birmingham, but it also surpassed £50,000 here in Manchester alone, and is now set to make debuts in a trio of new cities.
Tom went on to add: “I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish as a team with starting up three more events across the country this year and expanding Manchester to a scale we couldn’t have dreamed of when we started out seven years ago.”
We here at The Manc Group have been helping The MCR 24 Run Against Homelessness for several years now, and have put in plenty of those 5k laps between ourselves, so you can bank on us being there to put in some more hard yards this November.
Even better still, we’ve already roped in our friends over at The Hoot to help out with the maiden 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness in Leeds, and we hope to see lots more of you chipping in across the North and beyond.
Here’s to helping rough sleepers find beds and get back on their feet all over the country.
The @mcr24hourrun is expanding in 2025 and is heading to Leeds for the first time. 🏃♂️
And they're not the only city making their debut this year either… 👊
Manchester restaurant to give out FREE katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’
Emily Sergeant
In what is a small stroke of genius, a restaurant chain has decided to give out free katsu curries to anyone called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’.
Throughout September, award-winning restaurant chain Banana Tree – which has a Greater Manchester site down at Salford Quays – is shining the spotlight on its popular katsu creations, and as a clever way of celebrating National Katsu Day on 27 September has announced a pretty unique giveaway.
That’s right – the restaurant will be serving up katsu dishes to people called Kat, Sue, and every delicious variation of the names in between.
Anyone named Kat, Katie, Katherine, Sue, Suzy, Susan, Suzanne – or close enough to qualify, the list goes on – can head to their local Banana Tree restaurant, and all they’ll need to do is show proof of name and they can enjoy a free katsu dish of their choice, worth up to £16.75.
The chain’s kastu lineup includes three star dishes.
First there’s the much-loved Katsu Curry, as well as the all-new Katsu Burger, which is made from either a crispy chicken or veggie fillet, spicy mayo, puffed noodle crunch, and a drizzle of Katsu sauce tucked into a soft Shokupan bun with a side of salt n pepper chilli chips.
Then there’s also the intriguing newcomer, the Katsu Carbonara – which is described as being a daring East-meets-West mash-up and ‘unapologetically’ Banana Tree.
Banana Tree is giving away free katsu curries to people called ‘Kat’ or ‘Sue’ / Credit: Banana Tree
With each of these dishes usually priced around the £16 mark, the giveaway isn’t just a way of marking National Katsu Day, but it’s also a way to sample the some of the restaurant’s biggest crowd-pleasers entirely free of charge.
To avoid any confusion on who makes the cut, Banana Tree will reveal the full qualifying list of name variations on Instagram soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
“Our Katsu range is one of our proudest creations, so National Katsu Day felt like the perfect moment to have some fun with our fans,” a Banana Tree spokesperson said ahead of the giveaway.
The free katsu offer is available for four days only from Monday 22 to Thursday 25 September, and you just need to head to the Banana Tree website to sign up to the Big Flavour Club here.
The Manc -
26th August 2020 
