Tesco has announced that Express stores will close early at 7.30pm should England reach the World Cup final on Sunday, allowing thousands of colleagues to get home or to the pub in time for the 8pm kick-off
Tesco has revealed that Express stores will close early should England make it to the World Cup Final on Sunday, enabling thousands of staff to “get home or to the pub in time for kick-off”.
The outlets will shut at 7.30pm with workers still getting their full pay. Express branches typically stay open until 10pm or 11pm.
The retail giant says their Express outlets will operate normally during the day, allowing supporters to grab pre-match essentials.
Since the match falls on a Sunday (July 19), Tesco’s larger supermarkets in England will already be shut by the time the eagerly awaited clash begins at 8pm.
Kevin Tindall, managing director of 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.”, reports the Express.
“We will reopen as normal the following day.”
Shoppers needing last-minute items will still be able to place orders with Whoosh until 11pm. Tesco says all online Grocery Home Shopping orders already placed for Sunday evening will be honoured and delivered as normal.
Should England fail to reach the final, all outlets will follow their standard opening times.
Branches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will continue to operate according to their normal schedules.
The World Cup final gets under way at 8pm on Sunday at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Coverage will be available on both BBC One and ITV1.
England will meet Argentina for the first time in 21 years in the semi-final on Wednesday. The Three Lions will contest their last-four clash at the Atlanta Stadium, with kick-off at 8pm.
Meanwhile, France vs Spain is set for an 8pm start tomorrow (July 14). The fixture will be held at Dallas Stadium, meaning England will discover their potential final adversary before their semi-final.
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