Here is a full round up of when all of the major UK supermarkets are open this Boxing Day – however, its always best to check when your local supermarket chain is open before heading down
Opening hours at major UK supermarket chains tend to change around Christmas – and this year is no different.
Often, supermarkets close earlier than normal on Christmas Eve to allow their workers to spend time with their loved ones over Christmas. Boxing Day is a bank holiday, and timings for stores tend to be different to normal, with stores open for shorter hours. Some supermarkets are also choosing to remain closed this Boxing Day to give staff more time off to spend with friends and family.
Here is a full round up of when all of the major UK supermarkets are open this Boxing Day. However, its always best to check when your local supermarket chain is open before heading down. The majority of supermarkets offer an online tool on their website, so you can find the exact opening times for your local store.
Tesco
The opening time of your nearest Tesco depends on if it is a larger Tesco store or a smaller Express outlet, with opening hours remaining the same as usual on Tuesday, December 23. The bigger Tesco stores, normally open between 5am and 7am, then close between 11pm and 1am.
On Christmas Eve, all Tesco sites will open as normal but will close earlier, between 6pm and 7pm – this includes its smaller convenience stores. On Boxing Day stores will open from between 8am and 9am until between 6pm and 7pm. Again, this will be the same for its convenience stores although, it’s important to note that some smaller city centre Tesco stores will stay closed on Boxing Day. Opening times will revert back to normal from December 27.
Asda
Asda will be operating its usual open times on December 23, usually between 5am and 7pm to midnight across its stores but timings will change from Christmas Eve onwards.
On Christmas Eve, the majority will open as normal but will be closing earlier between 6pm and 7pm. All Asda stores – including its Express sites – will be closed on Christmas Day. The supermarket chain will open all of its stores once again on Boxing Day but with adjusted hours.
The majority of stores will open between 8am and 9am. This includes its Asda Express stores. Express stores will stay open until between 6pm and 8pm on Boxing Day, while full-size Asda supermarkets will shut at between 6pm and 7pm.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s will be operating its usual opening hours in the lead up but on Christmas Eve, many Sainsbury’s stores will open from between 6am and 7am until 7pm. After closing on Christmas Day, Sainsbury’s is set to reopen on Boxing Day but with reduced hours, opening between 9am and 6pm – this also includes its convenience store sites. From Tuesday, December 27, it will be business as usual at Sainsbury’s with stores opening at their usual hours.
Morrisons
In the lead-up to Christmas, Morrisons will be operating its normal opening hours, but on Christmas Eve, sites will open as normal between 6am or 7am but shutting earlier at around 6pm or 7pm. This will be for the majority of Morrisons stores.
Morrisons superstores will be closed on Christmas Day. However, some smaller Morrisons Daily sites—including its McColl stores—might be open. This is because some of these are franchise sites and can decide their own hours. On Boxing Day the majority of sites open later at around 9am and closing earlier at 6pm. From December 27, most stores will be reverting back to their normal hours.
Aldi
Aldi will be open from 7am to 10pm on December 23, which is slightly later than usual for some locations. Aldi will then reduce its hours on Christmas Eve, opening from 7am until around 6pm across all sites. The supermarket will then remain closed on Christmas Day as well as Boxing Day. Supermarket stores will open again on Friday, December 27, where most branches will welcome customers from 8am until 8pm.
Waitrose
Waitrose has shared on its website that most of its sites will open for extended hours on the lead-up to Christmas Eve. Most shops will close at either 10pm or 11pm with opening times remaining the same. Some of Waitrose’s convenience stores, the smaller sites, may also stay open until midnight.
On Christmas Eve, the majority of Waitrose’s stores will open from 7am to 6pm. All Waitrose sites will remain closed on Christmas Day however, stores at Welcome Break Service stations and Shell forecourts will be open. On Boxing Day the majority of Waitrose stores will remain closed although a “small number” will be open for Deliveroo and Uber Eats orders. All Shell and Welcome Break stores will trade as usual on Boxing Day. On December 27, sites will revert back to their normal opening hours
Lidl
On Tuesday, December 23, each Lidl site will be opening at its normal hours which is 7am to 10pm or 11pm across the majority of its sites. On Christmas Eve, Lidl will reduce its opening hours. It will open at 7am as normal but will close earlier, at either 6pm or 7pm, depending on the site, before closing on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
For December 27, Lidl will revert back to its normal hours with sites opening at either 7am or 8am and closing at 10pm or 11pm.
M&S
In the lead-up to Christmas eve, M&S will be closing slightly later than its normal hours to allow customers extra time to buy before the big day and these opening hours differ between each M&S site.
From our research, the majority of M&S sites have added either an extra hour or two to their normal closing time. On Christmas Eve, the majority of M&S stores will be opening at their normal time, between 6am and 8am, and will be closing earlier at around 6pm or 7pm. This year M&S will keep all of its sites closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day before reopening them on December 27 under their normal opening hours.
