Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl are among the supermarket retailers to release adjusted operating hours at stores across the UK over the festive period.
As Christmas is fast approaching, many 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 usually leaves us running to the shops before 25th.
Despite many having opted for home deliveries or Click & Collect services this year, others still prefer to shop in-store.
And while some of big name chains are still yet to release statements – expected to do so in due course – a number of leading supermarket retailers have already begun releasing Christmas opening hours.
Here’s everything we know so far.
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Tesco
Tesco announced recently that a number of its stores across the UK will be open for extended hours a day in the lead-up to Christmas, with 300 branches set to open 24 hours a day – except for Sundays – from 14th December – 24th December.
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The rest of Tesco’s stores will also operate at extended trading hours from 5am – 11pm between those dates.
Although specific opening times have not yet been announced for Christmas Day this year, if previous years are to provide a reflection, stores will close on 25th December, and reopen on Boxing Day.
You can check opening times via the Tesco Store Locator here.
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Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has also revealed that it will be introducing extended opening hours at its branches nationwide this Christmas, with most supermarkets set to be open from 6am until midnight on 21st, 22nd & 23rdDecember.
On top of this, the chain says that most of its shops will be open from 6am – 7pm on Christmas Eve too.
All Sainsbury’s stores will close on Christmas Day.
A message on Sainsbury’s website says: “Between 21st to 23rd December, 90% of Sainsbury’s supermarkets will extend their opening hours from 6am until midnight, to help customers buy everything they need for their Christmas celebrations this year.”
You can check opening times via the Sainsbury’s Store Locator here.
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Aldi
Aldi has published its operating hours at stores across the UK for the festive period in the run-up to the big day, which are as follows:
Saturday 19th December:7am – 11pm
Sunday 20th December:10am – 4pm
21st, 22nd & 23rd December:7am – 11pm
Christmas Eve:7am – 6pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day:STORES CLOSED
Sunday 27th December:10am – 4pm
28th, 29th & 30th December:8am – 8pm
New Year’s Eve:8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day:STORES CLOSED
Saturday 2nd January 2021:Normal Hours Resume
You can find more information on your local branch via the Aldi Store Finder here.
Lidl
Lidl has also published a full list of operating hours at stores across the UK for the festive period, which are as follows:
Saturday 19th December:7am – 11pm
Sunday 20th December:Open as Normal
21st, 22nd, 23rd December:7am – 11pm
Christmas Eve:7am – 6pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: STORES CLOSED
27th, 28th, 29th & 30th December:Open as Normal
New Year’s Eve:8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day:STORES CLOSED
Saturday 2nd January 2021:Normal Hours Resume
You can find more information on your local branch via the Lidl Store Finder here.
Asda, Morrisons, M&S, Co-op & Iceland
For each of the above and remaining food retailers, a national schedule of Christmas opening hours is yet to be released and so it’s currently advised that you check the opening times of your local branch individually before making any trips to stores over the festive period.
Want to order your festive food to be delivered to your home, or take advantage of Click & Collect services this month instead?
You can find the final order dates before Christmas for each supermarket retailer here.
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Two Manchester Basketball players have been named in the SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26
Danny Jones
A pair of Manchester Basketball players have been named in the latest SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26.
The most recent UK Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign is set to wrap up this month, with the playoffs taking place down in the capital, but there are other awards to be handed out before then.
It remains to be seen how ‘The Final Four’ phase will play out at The O2 in London on 17 May, but we can definitely take joy in moments like this.
Announced on Thursday, 7 May, Manchester Basketball confirmed that duo Max Jones and Jordan Johnson have joined the rest of the league’s roster of the best players this term.
As detailed on the club website, “Max has averaged 17.4 points in the SLB in 32 games – he’s been a starter for the franchise and was also named in the ENBL All-Star Five in Germany last month.
“Jordan averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 assists in 30 games in the SLB, had a stellar European campaign and hit 30 pts in just over 27 minutes in the SLB Cup Final.”
Commenting on social media, one fan wrote: “Both JJ and PJ have been so great at the PG spot all year. I feel this is a joint award for them both, but they can only fill one spot for the accolade. If we wanna be a serious club to build upon year on year, JJ also needs to be in an MCR jersey next year.
“We absolutely have the pieces to build around. JJ’s nerve is sooooo cool under pressure. You can just tell they wanna loft a meaningful trophy, and it’s gonna happen if we as a club plan and build the way we need to.”
Plenty of supporters have also stressed the importance of making sure that the board tie down the likes of Jones and other big talents this summer; the rest of the Molten All-League Team of the Season for 2025/26 can be found below.
It’s also worth noting that teammate Tim Adetukasi and women’s team star Irene Oboavwoduo have each been named in the SLB’s British Team of the Year in their respective divisions for 2026.
Writing in a club statement reflecting on a great week of recognition for the resurgent club, General Manager Dominique Allen said: “We are really proud to be a club flying the flag for British players.
Both Tim and Irene have made a real impact on and off the court. We’re really happy for both of them that they are getting some well-deserved recognition.”
Well done to all the MCR stars who are helping get the franchise back on its feet following such a major rebrand across the board.
Here’s looking forward to another promising and productive year for Manchester Basketball.
Akon speaks on his connection to Manchester after run of Co-op Live gigs
Danny Jones
Music veteran Akon has recently discussed his connection to our city following his run of live shows here in Manchester.
In fact, he went so far as to say he feels much more affinity here than he does with ‘The Big Smoke’.
The seasoned Senegalese-American rapper, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian, teamed up with fellow chart-topper Ne-Yo for not just one, not even two, but three whole nights at Co-op Live this May as part of their co-headline tour across the UK and Ireland.
Chatting with Simone Riley on BBC Radio Manchester before the third and final gig of the trio, Akon admitted that there’s “something about Manchester” that he loves way more than London.
As you can see, while he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly is about it in the North compared to the capital, he said simply that “it’s crazy here”, and he loves it.
Same, mate. Same.
Admitting that he feels “more attached to Manchester than London” and labelling the energy from the crowds as “stupid” up here (he meant it in a good way, we promise), Simone couldn’t help but confess her joy over his comments.
He’s not the only global superstar to have recently shouted out their affection for 0161, either, as Billie Eilish also said something similar.
Speaking to the mainline BBC at the premiere of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), she said that while the dates lining up were certainly a key factor, there were other reasons why she chose Manchester to film her new movie.
Our Audio North team were also lucky enough to chat with Akon’s touring partner Ne-Yo recently, too, who also had nothing but good things to say about us as a place to play.
As for Akon, the 53-year-old has obviously played here plenty of times over the decades, with last year’s tour being his first return in a decade.
That being said, given how glowingly he’s spoken about us and how popular these joint performances were, we reckon it won’t be that long before he comes back.
Last but not least, we obviously couldn’t resist going along to at least one of the nights for ourselves; listen to what we had to say about the tour in our full review down below.
The Manc -
8th December 2020 
