KICK OFF
Tesco to shut 1,800 stores early for Euro 2024 final if England win tonight
Plus, we reveal which pub chains will be staying open later to mark the occasion
TESCO is to shut 1,800 stores early on Sunday if England win their semi-final against the Netherlands.
The UK’s biggest supermarket said over 1,800 Express sites will close at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10pm or 11pm, to allow employees to watch a final involving the Three Lions.
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Tesco said the move would let thousands of colleagues get home or to the pub in time for kick-off, while still receiving their normal pay for those hours.
Those employees who do not want to watch the match will be also paid as normal.
Should England beat the Netherlands today, they will face Spain in Berlin at 8pm on Sunday.
Victory in the final would see them become the first England men’s team to win a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup.
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Because the match falls on a Sunday, the retailer’s larger stores in England will already be closed by the time the match kicks off.
All stores would then reopen as normal the following morning, with the majority from 6am or 7am.
Tesco reassured customers that stores would still be open as normal during the daytime on Sunday, so they can stock up on any essential pre-match supplies.
All online orders already placed for Sunday evening would be honoured and delivered as normal.
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Stores in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland would continue to remain open in line with their usual hours.
Tesco’s managing director of UK stores, Kevin Tindall, said: “We will be cheering on the Three Lions tonight against the Netherlands and hope they reach a second successive Euros final.
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“We appreciate just how much this would mean to so many of our colleagues, and we want them to be able to celebrate with their family and friends.
“So, if we make it through to the final, we will close our stores across England in time for them to get behind Gareth Southgate and the team, and we’ll all be hoping that football will be coming home.”
Elsewhere, major pubs chains including Wetherspoons and Greene King are extending their opening hours tonight's semi-final.
We reveal if your local will be open late.
What have supermarkets done in previous tournaments?
It's not the first time supermarkets have changed their open hours to allow staff to watch England in a major tournament.
In 2021, Tesco, Lidl and Iceland all made changes to allow their staff to watch England face Italy at Wembley in the final of Euro 2020.
Tesco shut its Express stores at 7:45pm to give staff enough time to get to the pub to catch kick off.
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Co-op closed over 2,000 convenience stores and fuel stations early so its staff could watch the match.
While Iceland opened its stores an hour later the following day to give customers and staff more time in bed.
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