Boxing Day has become renowned for being one of the year’s biggest shopping days – but some businesses have confirmed they’ll remain shut on both December 25 and 26 this year
There are a number of major high street chains keeping their doors closed this Boxing Day.
Boxing Day has become renowned for being one of the year’s biggest shopping days – but some businesses have confirmed they’ll remain shut on December 26, so staff can enjoy a well-earned rest with their families. In previous years, this has been well received by customers, and more retailers and supermarkets are deciding to follow.
The Mirror has rounded up a list of all retailers and supermarkets which are planning on keeping their stores closed on Boxing Day this, at the time of writing.
Aldi
Aldi confirmed back in September that its over 1,000 stores will once again be closed on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year. The discount supermarket chain said its shops will reopen on December 27 from 8am until 8pm. Aldi is known for remaining closed for both Christmas bank holiday days, so its staff can rest over the festive period.
Iceland
All Iceland and Food Warehouse stores will be closed on Boxing Day and will reopen from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on December 27. However, 76 of its more than 900 stores will remain open – most of which are situated in the London area. In general, most stores will be open from 9am to 9pm – you can check your local store on Iceland’s store finder tool on its website.
Waitrose and John Lewis
The John Lewis Group—which owns Waitrose—will close its over 300 stores for two days over Christmas, on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This covers its 300 Waitrose sites and its 37 John Lewis stores. The only two stores that will be open the day after Christmas will be the John Lewis store in Trafford and Stratford shopping centre. Some of the premium supermarket’s sites attached to petrol stations will also stay open on Boxing Day.
M&S
M&S will close its stores on Boxing Day to allow staff to “spend more time with loved ones” this Christmas season. The upmarket retailer and supermarket will reopen on December 27. M&S said in a statement: “Our stores, support centres, and distribution centres will be closed on Boxing Day so colleagues can spend more time with loved ones, but the majority of stores will reopen on 27 December for our seasonal Sale.”
Next
Next will once again be closed on December 26, with the retailer confirming its highly anticipated sale will go live in store from December 27 when stores reopen. In the past, Next launched its Christmas sale online on December 24, with its in-store sale starting at 6am on December 27. Since 2021, Next has closed its doors on December 26 to give its workers more time at home with their families at Christmas. Next has more than 450 stores across the UK.
Home Bargains
The discount retailer, which has over 600 stores in the UK, made their announcement at their annual conference back in September that all their shops will be closed on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day this year. A spokesperson for Home Bargains said: “We know how hard all our colleagues have worked throughout the year. Being a family-run business, we recognise the importance of spending quality time with our loved ones.
“Therefore, we feel it is only right to support our valued store teams by giving them extended time off around Christmas and New Year.”
Wickes
Wickes will be closed for three days over Christmas this year. The home improvement retailer announced earlier this year that all stores will be shut on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day – this will also include Wickes’ customer service department.
This is the first year that all Wickes employees will benefit from the three-day closure with workers also set to receive an additional day of paid leave on Christmas Eve. Wickes stores will reopen to the public on Friday, December 27.
The Range
The Range stores will also be closing on Boxing Day to give their “hard-working team members a well-earned break over the festive season”. The Range store will once again reopen on December 27, with normal operating hours from 9am to 8pm resuming.
