Christmas supermarket opening times 2021 – the essential guide

Christmas opening hours for Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose

It's nearly that time again! Yes, Christmas is just around the corner this year is going to be a little bit different to most. However, the one thing you can rely on is needing to know the Christmas opening times when you've forgotten to buy stuffing for the big day.

Christmas time is a minefield of shop openings time, especially this year as many of the big supermarkets have opted to shut on Christmas day AND Boxing day. So we've compiled a handy list of supermarket Christmas opening times to make your life a little bit easier so you can focus on your Christmas ideas, not panicking about when the shops shut.

Christmas opening times 2021

Santa in mall shopping

(Image credit: Bec Parsons / Getty)

While the specific opening times of your local supermarket may vary, most are open up to and including Christmas Eve, closing on Christmas Day and New Year's Day and in some circumstances, on Boxing Day.

This year, Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Saturday, and the bank holiday have been pushed to Monday. This makes 27th December Monday, 28th December Tuesday and 3rd January Monday Bank Holidays.

The majority of supermarkets will be closed on Christmas Day and operate close to their Sunday opening hours on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Supermarket opening times

Tesco Christmas opening times

Tesco will close all of its supermarkets on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Eve, all Extra, Metro and Superstores look to be operating their usual opening times. However, opening times may differ between stores on Boxing Day so check the store locator before heading out.

Large stores will also open on Boxing Day between 9am-6pm and 8am-10pm for Express stores.

Sainsbury's Christmas opening times

All Sainsbury's stores will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as a thank you to it's staff.

On Christmas Eve, most of the larger stores will open from 10am-4pm or 11am-5pm, with local stores open from 7am-9pm.

You can check the specific time for your local branch opening hours over the New Years period on the Sainsbury's store finder.

Asda Christmas opening times

The opening hours will vary depending on the store. The larger stores will close at 7pm on Christmas Eve, however some of smaller supermarkets will be open until 7pm.

All of stores are closed on Christmas Day, and they reopen 9am – 6pm on Boxing Day.

For New Year's Eve, most stores will be open from 6am-7pm. Expect the opening times to be 10am-5pm on New Year's Day.

You can check the specific time for your local Asda branch using the online store finder.

Morrisons Christmas opening times

All Morrisons will be closed on Christmas Day and will open from 5am-6pm on Christmas Eve. On Boxing Day all stores will be closed for the first time ever in the supermarket's history.

On New Year's Eve, some shops will be open from 7am-6pm and 9am-6pm on New Year's Day. Use the Morrisons store locator to find out the specific opening times of the petrol stations and local shops.

Marks & Spencer Christmas opening times

Marks & Spencer stores opening times vary widely over the festive period, with its Simply Food stores having different operating times to the larger shops.

The store will shut on Christmas day and Boxing day. For the rest of the festive period, visit the branch finder to check the specific timings of your local store.

Waitrose Christmas opening times

Waitrose is open from 7am-6pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day AND Boxing Day.

On New Year's Eve the stores will open from 8am-6pm and will be closed on New Year's Day. However, some shops will be open with opening hours varying between 7am and 10pm.

Use the branch finder to check the timings of your local Waitrose.

Aldi Christmas opening times

Aldi has introduced extended opening times in the run up to Christmas which you can check on the website here. Check with your local store first as they can vary.

Aldi supermarkets will be open from 7am-6pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

On New Year's Eve, stores will be open from 8am-6pm and will be closed on New Year's Day.

For specific times, visit the Aldi store finder.

Lidl Christmas opening times

Most supermarkets open from 8am-6pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

On New Year's Eve, the majority of stores will be open from 8am-7pm and will be closed on New Year's Day.

For specific times, visit the Lidl store finder.

Happy shopping!

Amy Cutmore
Contributor

Amy Cutmore is an experienced interiors editor and writer, who has worked on titles including Ideal Home, Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, GardeningEtc, Top Ten Reviews and Country Life. And she's a winner of the PPA's Digital Content Leader of the Year. A homes journalist for two decades, she has a strong background in technology and appliances, and has a small portfolio of rental properties, so can offer advice to renters and rentees, alike.