Co-op & Tesco Express to shut shops early so staff can clock off for kick off

Even if football doesn’t come home on Sunday, Co-op and Tesco Express staff will be after the chains vowed to close early so employees can catch the match.

Tesco Express and Co-op stores in England will close at 7:45pm on Sunday, giving their shopworkers time to clock off for kick off at 8pm.

Chris Whitfield, Co-op’s Chief Operating Officer, said: ‘We appreciate just how much this means to many of our colleagues and we want them to be able to celebrate at home with their family and friends.’

Due to Sunday Trading laws, larger supermarkets will already be shut, but Lidl has pledged to give its staff in England time to recover on Monday morning if England win. If the game goes in England’s favour, store openings will be pushed back by an hour.

“Shoppers and staff alike are likely to appreciate a Lidl extra time first thing,” said a spokesperson for the German discounter.

Newsagents may also be opening later due to necessity rather than choice. Newspaper cut-off time extensions of between 30-60minutes have been announced by publishers, a move likely to cause delays into stores Monday morning.

With more than 28million people in the UK tuning in to England’s match versus Denmark last week, it’s unlikely closed retailers will miss out on many customers during this Sunday’s clash with Italy. However, EPOS data from the Denmark game shows strong opportunities for open stores before and possibly after the game as well (depending on the result). Managing director of In-Touch Gerry Hooper explained: “There was a 20% rise in total alcohol sales compared to the previous Wednesday and this was driven by beer with 30% increased sales.”