Major UK supermarket to close 356 shops in April | UK | News
A major UK supermarket will close more than 350 stores for a day in April. The retailer confirmed stores would be closed for 24 hours and urged shoppers to check the opening times of their local branches in the coming days.
Waitrose, which has 421 stores across the UK, will close most of its branches on Sunday 5 April to give staff some much-needed time off. A spokesman for the supermarket told the Daily Express that Little Waitrose stores would remain open for a “selected number”. There are up to 65 of these smaller stores across the country, meaning at least 356 Waitrose stores will be closed on Easter Sunday.
However, all Waitrose stores that are part of the John Lewis Partnership will remain open on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Shoppers are advised to check hours on the supermarket’s website.
A John Lewis Partnership spokesman said: “All Waitrose branches will be open on Good Friday and Easter Monday, although some may open at reduced hours.
“On Easter Sunday, the majority of our branches will be closed and a select number of Little Waitrose stores will be open. We advise customers to check store hours using the branch locator page on our website.”
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Shops over 280 square meters in size are legally required to close on Easter Sunday under the Sunday Trading Act 1994. But smaller shops can remain open, as well as airport and train station outlets, service stations and registered pharmacies.
It was previously reported that 560 Home Bargains branches would also be closed this Easter Sunday. The retailer, which employs around 28,000 staff, will be open with reduced opening hours from 9am to 7pm on Good Friday.
A spokesperson for Home Bargains confirmed that all 70 stores in Scotland will remain open as usual on Easter Sunday, while other stores across England will close. Since there are 630 stores across the country, this means that 560 branches will be closed during the day.
