Supermarket Christmas and New Year opening times for 2020 including Tesco, Aldi, Morrisons and M&S

CHRISTMAS is coming around fast and shoppers on a last-minute food run will need to know what time supermarkets are open.

Everyone deserves a rest over the holidays, and most big-name brands change their hours so workers can enjoy some much-needed time off.

Aldi will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing DayCredit: Getty

But this also means customers will need to plan their festive trips carefully so they don’t miss out on final preparations.

Most stores across the UK will be shut on December 25, but hours vary by shop on the days surrounding Christmas.

There may be changes this year due to a high demand in food deliveries as people shop online during the coronavirus pandemic.

We’ve rounded up the Christmas and New Year supermarket opening hours so you can plan ahead. Here’s what you can expect:

When is Aldi open over Christmas and New Year?

Aldi shoppers will find the opening times of their favourite store will change slightly from December 24.

You can find your nearest branch using the locator tool.

How to cut the cost of your grocery shop

SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from comparison site Money.co.uk about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:

Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley
Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering
Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
Check the small print – It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards

What are Aldi’s opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Most Aldi stores will be running reduced hours on December 24, opening 8am to 6pm so workers can get home in time to relax before the big day.

Aldi is then closed across the UK on December 25.

What are Aldi’s opening hours for Boxing Day until New Year?

The discounter has confirmed it will remain closed on Boxing Day so employees can continue enjoying time with their families.

There are shortened hours on December 27, December 28 and December 30 where shops will be open from 8am to 8pm.

What are Aldi’s opening hours over New Year?

Most Aldi shops will open 8am to 6pm on New Year’s Eve, before staying closed on New Year’s Day.

On Saturday January 2, stores will be running on reduced hours of 8am to 10pm.

Normal shopping hours will resume on January 3.

When is Asda open over Christmas and New Year?

We don't know Asda's opening hours yet — We don’t know Asda’s opening hours yetCredit: Getty

There are 630 Asda branches in the UK so be sure to check the opening times of your local one.

What are Asda’s opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Asda stores will close early on Christmas Eve, with most stores closing at 7pm.

All stores will be closed on Christmas Day.

What are Asda’s opening hours for Boxing Day until New Year?

Asda has announced this year that it will remain closed on Boxing Day to give frontline workers a two-day break over the festive season, despite it being the busiest time of year for the retailer.

Stores will return to their normal hours on December 27 until December 30.

What are Asda’s opening hours over New Year?

The supermarket is yet to confirm its opening hours over New Year.

Last year, Asda shops ran reduced hours – most large shops opened 9am to 7pm on December 31.

Then on New Year’s Day, stores opened much later, running a 10am to 5pm schedule to kick off 2019.

Opening hours went back to normal on January 2.

When is Lidl open over Christmas and New Year?

Lidl is in the final stages of confirming its hoursCredit: Getty

Lidl has 760 shops in the UK and you can find your nearest by using the online store locator so check your local branch as the exact times will likely vary between stores.

What are Lidl’s opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Lidl stores will be running reduced hours on December 24.

Normally, stores open at 7am and close at 11pm in England, and 10pm in Wales and Scotland.

On Christmas Eve, stores will close early – at 7pm for shops within the M25, 6pm for those outside of it

All Lidl stores across the UK will be closed on Christmas Day.

What are Lidl’s opening hours for Boxing Day?

Lidl supermarkets inside the M25 in England will open from 10am until 7pm on December 26.

Stores in England outside of the London ring-road will stay closed on Boxing Day.

Stores in Wales will also remain closed, while supermarkets in Scotland will open from 11am until 7pm.

What are Lidl’s opening hours over New Year?

Lidl stores across the UK will open from 8am on New Year’s Eve but will close earlier than normal.

In England, stores inside the M25 will close at 8pm, while those outside it will close at 6pm.

In Wales, Lidl shops will close at 6pm and 7pm in Scotland.

Lidl supermarkets will remain shut on New Year’s Day, apart from those inside the M25 which will open from 10am until 7pm.

Usual opening hours resume from January 2.

When is M&S opened over Christmas and New Year?

M&S has announced that it will extend its opening hours in the lead up to ChristmasCredit: Getty

M&S announced it would keep around 400 shops open until midnight in the lead up to Christmas. The rest will open until 10pm.

The extended opening times include almost all of M&S’ food-only branches, along with some clothing and food stores.

The midnight closing applies on December 21, 22 and 23.

What are M&S’s opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Most stores will operate reduced ours on Christmas Eve and won’t stay open until midnight.

Shops are expected to shut at 6pm on Christmas eve.

They will remain closed on Christmas Day.

M&S recommends customers check its store finder tool for the latest hours.

What are M&S’s opening hours for Boxing Day?

After initially saying it would open around 200 stores on Boxing Day this year, the retailer has now backtracked.

Steve Rowe, CEO at M&S said stores will stay closed on December 26 so staff can “enjoy more special time with their loved ones”.

What are M&S’s New Year opening hours?

Stores will be open on New Year’s Eve from 8am, but are set to have slightly earlier closing times.

Whether or not your branch is open on New Year’s Day is variable, so check with the locator tool to be sure.

When is Morrisons’ open over Christmas and New Year?

Morrisons has not released its opening hours yetCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Morrisons has confirmed that the supermarket will be extending its opening hours so customers can shop safely during the pandemic.

Stores are open until midnight from December 18.

There are just under 500 stores in the UK so use the online store finder to locate your nearest one.

What are Morrisons’ opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Morrison stores will close at 6pm on Christmas Eve in preparation for the big day.

And all Morrison shops will be closed on Christmas Da

What are Morrisons’ opening hours for Boxing Day until December 30?

Morrisons will keep its stores open on Boxing Day, but it will be voluntary for staff to work and those who do will get double pay.

They will reopen from 9am for a limited number of hours.

What are Morrisons’ opening hours over New Year?

On December 31, stores in England and Wales will be open between 7am and 6pm and in Scotland they will be open between 7am and 7pm.

And on January 1, hours will be slightly reduced.

When is Sainsbury’s open over Christmas and New Year?

Sainsbury's has also not released all of its hours yet — Sainsbury’s has also not released all of its hours yetCredit: Getty

Sainsbury’s has extended Christmas opening hours as part of new measures to encourage customers to shop early and shop safely ahead of the festive season.

The retailer said that 90% of its supermarkets will be open from 6am until midnight from December 21 to December 23.

But the retailer is also urging customers to shop alone and shop early this year.

It will give customers 10 times the Nectar points when they purchase long-life food products between December 4 and 13.

Sainsbury’s has yet to release all the details about its opening hours after Christmas, and The Sun has asked the retailer for comment.

There are over 600 Sainsbury’s supermarkets in the UK. You can find your nearest one here.

What are Sainsbury’s opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Most Sainsbury’s stores will open from 6am to 7pm on Christmas Eve.

Opening hours can vary from store to store so customers are advised to use Sainsbury’s store locator online to check local shops’ opening times over the holiday period.

All stores will remain closed on Christmas Day.

The retailer is yet to confirm the opening hours between Christmas and New Year.

What are Sainsbury’s opening hours over New Year?

New Year’s Day will vary depending where the store is, so it’s best to check online for individual opening hours.

Last year, most Sainsbury’s stores were open from 9am to 5pm and local stores were open 9am to 9pm.

Most stores will then return to their normal opening hours from January 2, 2019.

When is Tesco open over Christmas and New Year?

Tesco hours differ depending on which type of branch you're shopping in — Tesco hours differ depending on which type of branch you’re shopping in Credit: Gett

Tesco is opening 300 stores for 24 hours from December 14 to Christmas Eve, the Sun understands.

The supermarket chain will also extend the hours of the remaining stores for the same dates.

Stores will open from 5am to 11pm for these two weeks, the publication said.

It’s important to note that Tesco hours differ throughout the year depending on if you shop in a superstore, or a smaller Express branch.

This will be the same case over Christmas, so be sure to check ahead before making the journey.

Shoppers have a choice of just under 4,000 Tesco stores – see here for which one is nearest to you.

What are Tesco’s opening hours for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Tesco Extra, Superstores and Metro branches will close early at 7pm on Christmas Eve.

Express stores will close at 10pm, while petrol stations will close an hour after the main store closes. In London, this will be at 10pm.

All stores and petrol stations will be closed on December 25.

What are Tesco’s opening hours for Boxing Day, December 27, 28, 29 and 30?

Tesco will open its stores under reduced hours on Boxing Day.

In England, Scotland and Wales, Tesco Extra, Superstores and Metro shops will open at 9am until 6pm, although this may vary.

In Northern Ireland, Tesco Extra and Superstores will open from 10am until 6pm, depending on the store.

Normal hours resume between December 27 and 30.

What are Tesco’s opening hours over New Year?

Tesco Extra, Superstores and Metro branches will open as usual on New Year’s Eve but close early at 7pm.

Express stores will close at 10pm, while petrol stations will close an hour after the main store shuts, or 10pm in London.

On January 1, Tesco Extra, Superstores and Metro shops in England and Wales will open from 9am until 6pm.

Express stores open from 8am until 10pm and petrol stations are open from 8am until 7pm.

In Scotland, Tesco Extra and Superstores open from 11am until 6pm, while Metro and Express shops open from 10am until 6pm.

Fuel stations will open at 10am and close at 7pm.

In Northern Ireland, Tesco Extra, Euperstores and Metro shops will open at 10am until 6pm.

On January 2, shops in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will open at 6am and close at the usual time.

In Scotland, Extra and Superstores will open 9am until 6pm.

When is Waitrose open over Christmas and New Year?

Waitrose has also revealed details of its Christmas opening times. Smaller stores will stay open until 11pm on December 21, 22 and 23, while larger stores will shut at 10pm.