Tesco has confirmed that its Express stores across England will close early at 7.30pm on Sunday if the England football team reaches the World Cup final. The move is designed to allow colleagues to get home or to the pub in time for the 8pm kick-off, while still receiving their normal pay for the hours they would have worked.
Early Closure Details
Instead of the usual closing time of 10pm or 11pm, Tesco Express stores will shut at 7.30pm on the day of the final. Thousands of colleagues will benefit from the early closure, enabling them to celebrate with family and friends. Tesco’s larger stores in England will already be closed by kick-off as they operate under Sunday trading hours, and all stores will reopen as normal the following morning.
Customer Impact and Online Orders
Express stores will remain open during the daytime for fans to stock up on pre-match supplies. Customers needing last-minute essentials can still use the Whoosh delivery service until 11.00pm. All online Grocery Home Shopping orders already placed for Sunday evening will be honoured and delivered as usual.
Contingency Plans
If England does not reach the final, stores will operate at their normal hours. Stores in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will continue with their usual opening times regardless of the match outcome.
Kevin Tindall, Managing Director UK Operations at Tesco, said: “We appreciate just how much this would mean to so many of our colleagues, so if England makes it through to the final, we will close our Express stores across England in time for all colleagues to be able to celebrate with their family and friends.”
England must first defeat Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday at 8pm to secure a place in the final.
