Tesco has announced it will close more than 2,000 Express stores in England at 7:30pm on Sunday, July 15, if England defeat Argentina in the World Cup semi-final and advance to the final. The early closure, which applies only to its smaller convenience stores, is intended to allow thousands of staff to get home or to a pub in time for the 8pm kick-off. Tesco confirmed that workers will receive their normal pay for the hours they would have worked.
Details of the Closure
Tesco Express stores typically close at 10pm or 11pm, but on the day of the final they will shut two and a half hours earlier. Larger Tesco stores in England will already be closed by 8pm as they do not trade late on Sundays. All stores will reopen as usual on Monday morning. The early closure applies only to stores in England; outlets in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will maintain their regular hours.
Customers who have already placed online grocery home shopping orders for Sunday evening will have them delivered as normal. Tesco's ultra-fast Whoosh delivery service will also continue to accept orders until 11pm for last-minute essentials.
Reaction from Tesco
Kevin Tindall, managing director for 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.”
Tesco will not close stores early for the semi-final match against Argentina, meaning staff scheduled to work will miss the live broadcast. In contrast, electrical retailer Currys has announced it will close its stores an hour early on Wednesday, July 15, for the semi-final. Matthew Speight, Currys’ director of stores, said: “We know how excited our colleagues are for Wednesday’s semi-final against Argentina, so we’ll be closing an hour earlier to let them get home to watch the match.”
Economic Impact of the Match
According to VoucherCodes, up to 26.2 million fans are expected to watch the semi-final. An estimated 7 million people will watch in pubs, bars, and fan zones, a record for the tournament. Fans are forecast to drink 9.7 million pints, boosting hospitality sales by £60.5 million from drinks and an additional £37.8 million from food. The British Beer and Pub Association estimates that pubs alone could serve an extra 6 million pints for the game. Meanwhile, 19.2 million people are expected to watch at home or with friends.
Supermarkets and other retailers are set to benefit from a £357 million spending spree, with the bulk coming from food and drink (£238 million), sportswear (£44 million), and electrical items (£25 million).
