The August summer bank holiday weekend is almost here so shoppers will need to plan to organise their food shop.
Supermarkets often operate on different opening hours over a bank holiday, so if there’s any essentials you need to pick up it’s worth checking when your local store will be open. Supermarkets aren’t legally required to close on bank holidays so retail workers will be heading to work as normal on Monday, August 23. But while there’s no legal requirement to close, supermarkets can choose to do so, or may operate on reduced opening hours in some cases instead, often due to reduced staff availability.
The majority of larger Tesco stores in England and Wales will remain open on bank holiday Monday from the hours of 8am until 6pm.
Tesco’s large Express stores across the UK will be open from 8am until 6pm on bank holiday Monday, while the majority of smaller Express stores will be open as normal from 6am until 11pm.
But shoppers are advised to check their local store opening hours online using Tesco’s store locator before heading to the shops as times can vary.
In a message to customers, Tesco said: “Visiting our stores this bank holiday weekend? Don’t forget to check changes to our opening hours.”
Stores in Northern Ireland typically operate on normal opening hours on a bank holiday, while in Scotland, which has already had its summer bank holiday, there will also be no change to the opening hours.
The next bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will fall on Christmas Day on Thursday, December 25, followed by Boxing Day on Friday, December 26. In Scotland, the next bank holiday is slightly earlier on Monday, December 1, for St Andrew’s Day.
There are eight bank holidays planned for England and Wales in 2026, while Scotland has nine thanks to an extra day for St Andrew’s Day.
A total of 10 bank holidays are planned in Northern Ireland for 2026, where workers get an extra day off for St Patrick’s Day in March and the Battle of the Boyne in July.