Supermarket Christmas Opening Hours 2026: Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, M&S, Co-op and Waitrose

Updated Thursday 5 November 2026 — Aldi has confirmed its closures, Sainsbury’s has listed its Christmas Eve and Boxing Day hours, and six chains are still to announce

Christmas 2026 has an awkward shape for anyone planning the food shop. Christmas Day falls on a Friday and Boxing Day on a Saturday, so the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. That gives you four days in a row, from Friday to Monday, when supermarket hours are different from normal.

Many “2026” opening-hours pages online are simply last year’s tables with the year changed, and some still show days of the week that belong to 2024. This guide keeps two things apart: what each supermarket has actually confirmed for 2026, and what it did last year. Every figure links to its source, and we will update the page as each chain announces.

Christmas 2026 at a glance: the dates that matter

Bank holiday dates are from the Scottish Government’s bank holiday list and GOV.UK, which both show Monday 28 December as the substitute day for Boxing Day.

Which supermarkets have confirmed their Christmas 2026 hours?

As of 5 November 2026, only Aldi has made a national announcement. Sainsbury’s has quietly added its Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day hours to the store data behind its store locator, and Tesco has confirmed its basic pattern on its Christmas page. The other chains usually announce between late November and mid-December.

Sources are linked in each supermarket’s section below.

Aldi Christmas opening hours 2026

Aldi is the only supermarket to have confirmed its full festive closures. In a press release on 2 September 2026, it said every UK store will close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and reopen on Sunday 27 December. Stores will close again on New Year’s Day and reopen on Saturday 2 January 2027, as Retail Gazette also reported.

2025 comparison times from the Lancashire Evening Post’s December 2025 round-up.

Here is the catch for 2026. Because Aldi reopens on a Sunday, most stores in England and Wales can only trade for six hours that day, usually 10am to 4pm or 11am to 5pm. If you rely on Aldi, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December are your last long shopping days before the break.

Closing on Boxing Day is not new for Aldi: it did the same in 2025, according to Retail Gazette, and presents it as a thank-you to staff. Check your branch on the Aldi Store Finder nearer the time, as hours before Christmas are set store by store.

Lidl Christmas opening hours 2026

Lidl has not announced its 2026 hours yet. It usually confirms them in late November: its 2024 hours came in a press release on 28 November 2024. Until then, last year’s pattern is the best guide, and Lidl varies more by region than any other supermarket.

Lidl’s Christmas 2025 hours, for reference

Sources: Heart for Christmas Eve; Lidl’s own 2025 opening-times page, as recorded by BoxingDayDeals, for Boxing Day; GB News for New Year’s Eve; and an Independent report on AOL for New Year’s Day.

If Lidl repeats that pattern, most of its stores in England and Wales outside London would be shut on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December, then reopen on Sunday 27 December on Sunday hours. Some reports last year said Welsh stores opened on Boxing Day, but Lidl’s own page listed them as closed, so check your branch in the Lidl Plus app before you travel.

Lidl has around 980 UK stores. Last year it told shoppers that stores are usually quietest between 8am and 10am or after 6pm, the same report said.

Sainsbury’s Christmas opening hours 2026

Sainsbury’s has not made a public announcement, but its 2026 hours are already in the store data that powers its store locator. BoxingDayDeals read that data for every Sainsbury’s supermarket on 22 October 2026 and found:

Sainsbury’s Boxing Day exceptions

Six supermarkets were listed as closed on Boxing Day: Kingswood, Dingles and Clifton Down in Bristol, plus Plymouth, Cardiff (CF10) and Ross-on-Wye. A handful of others had different times, including White Rose in Leeds (8.30am–7.30pm), Holborn in London (9am–9pm), Lewisham (10.30am–5pm), Camberley (10.30am–4.30pm) and Chatham (10am–4pm).

Two more things to know. Sainsbury’s Local convenience shops set their own hours, and a 2025 sample listed them at 9am to 9pm on Boxing Day. New Year hours had not been added when the data was checked, so look again in December on the Sainsbury’s store locator.

Asda Christmas opening hours 2026

Asda has not published its 2026 festive hours. Last year it opened most superstores on every day except Christmas Day, and regional round-ups reported the same national pattern:

Sources: Lancashire Evening Post and GB News, December 2025. Asda Express stores on petrol forecourts keep their own hours.

Keep an eye on Monday 28 December. It is the bank holiday this year, and Asda has not yet said what hours it will trade that day.

Morrisons Christmas opening hours 2026

Morrisons has not announced its 2026 store hours, but it has confirmed its Christmas deliveries. In a press release on 6 October 2026, it said festive delivery and Click & Collect slots run from Friday 18 December to Thursday 31 December, with 35,000 extra slots this year.

Morrisons’ Christmas 2025 hours, for reference

Sources: eight Morrisons store pages archived in December 2025, collected by BoxingDayDeals, for Christmas Eve to Boxing Day; the Lancashire Evening Post for New Year. Morrisons Daily convenience shops differ, so check the Morrisons store finder.

M&S Christmas opening hours 2026

M&S has not published its 2026 hours. Last year most of its stores stayed shut on Boxing Day, while outlets and some convenience stores opened, Drapers reported. Even so, M&S asked staff to work at least one day between 26 and 28 December 2025 to keep stores stocked after Christmas, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported.

So if M&S is your shop, plan for most main stores being closed on both Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December until it says otherwise. M&S Simply Food branches at railway stations, motorway services and petrol forecourts often keep different hours, so check the M&S store listing. Christmas Food to Order opened on 22 September.

Co-op Christmas opening hours 2026

Co-op has not announced its 2026 hours. Most Co-op shops are neighbourhood convenience stores, so hours vary more than at the big chains. In 2025, regional press reported this pattern:

Source: Wigan Today, December 2025. Co-op’s smaller shops are below the size limit that bans Christmas Day trading, but the chain still closed every store on Christmas Day last year.

Waitrose Christmas opening hours 2026

Waitrose has already put up a Christmas Opening Hours 2026 page where you can look up each branch, but it has not made a national announcement. Last year, 7 of the 8 UK branch pages checked by BoxingDayDeals listed Boxing Day as closed, while the branch at Corley motorway services opened.

Little Waitrose shops at Shell petrol stations and Welcome Break services often keep their own hours, so they can be a useful fallback when the main branch is shut. Waitrose opened Christmas delivery booking to all customers on 30 September, according to Christmas Countdown.

Tesco Christmas opening hours 2026

Tesco’s Christmas page confirms the basics: all stores close on Christmas Day, Express stores stay open until 10pm on Christmas Eve, and stores open on Boxing Day with reduced hours. In 2025, the large Tesco stores sampled opened 9am to 6pm on Boxing Day and Express stores 9am to 7pm, according to BoxingDayDeals.

For every Tesco date, including delivery slots and the 14 December deadline for Festive Food to Order, see our Tesco Christmas opening hours and delivery slots 2026 guide.

Is any supermarket open on Christmas Day 2026?

No major supermarket will open on Friday 25 December. In England and Wales, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 bans shops larger than 280 square metres (about 3,000 sq ft) from opening on Christmas Day, and Scotland has a similar law.

Smaller shops are allowed to open, so if you run out of something, an independent corner shop or a petrol-station shop is your best bet. Do not count on the supermarket convenience chains, though: Tesco says its Express stores will be closed on Christmas Day, and Co-op closed every store last year.

Sunday 27 December: the day most guides miss

The day after Boxing Day is an ordinary Sunday this year, so normal Sunday trading law applies. That matters because it is the day Aldi reopens, and possibly the day many Lidl stores reopen too.

Northern Ireland’s 1pm to 6pm rule for shops over 280 square metres is set out by NI Business Info. In practice, expect most big stores in England and Wales to trade 10am to 4pm or 11am to 5pm on 27 December, the same as any other Sunday. Scottish stores can open for longer.

Are supermarkets open on Monday 28 December 2026?

Yes for Aldi, which only closes on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and almost certainly for the other big chains, but probably on bank holiday hours. Because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, Monday 28 December is the substitute bank holiday across the whole UK.

No supermarket has published its hours for that day yet. On ordinary bank holidays, big supermarkets usually open later and close earlier than normal, while convenience stores trade close to their normal hours. We will add each chain’s times as they are confirmed.

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2027 opening hours

New Year’s Eve falls on Thursday 31 December and New Year’s Day on Friday 1 January 2027. Aldi has confirmed it will be closed on New Year’s Day and reopen on Saturday 2 January. For the chains that have not announced yet, last year looked like this:

Sources: Lancashire Evening Post, GB News and The Independent, December 2025. Reported New Year times for Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Co-op and Waitrose disagreed between outlets last year, so we have left them out until the chains confirm.

In Scotland, 2 January is also a holiday. In 2027 it moves to Monday 4 January because the 2nd is a Saturday, so some Scottish stores may run holiday hours that day.

Where can you shop on Boxing Day 2026?

• Confirmed open: Sainsbury’s (9am to 6pm at most supermarkets) and Tesco (reduced hours).
• Open last year, not yet confirmed for 2026: Asda and Morrisons (both 9am to 6pm in 2025), larger Co-op stores, and Lidl stores inside the M25 and in Scotland.
• Confirmed closed: Aldi, at every UK store.
• Mostly closed last year: M&S main stores, most Waitrose branches, and Lidl stores in the rest of England and Wales.

If you were planning a Boxing Day trip beyond the food shop, note that John Lewis lists 34 of its 36 shops as closed on Boxing Day 2026, according to BoxingDayDeals.

Can’t face the shops? Christmas delivery and Click & Collect 2026

Booking a slot is the surest way around closures and queues. Here is where things stand on 5 November:

Sources: Tesco, Morrisons and Christmas Countdown (Waitrose, M&S and Asda).

Sending cards and presents too? Our Royal Mail last posting dates for Christmas 2026 guide lists every deadline.

Seven ways to beat the Christmas 2026 supermarket rush

1. Buy for four days, not two. Hours are unusual on every day from Friday 25 to Monday 28 December. Aldi shoppers face two closed days followed by a six-hour Sunday.
2. Go early or late. Lidl said last year that its stores are usually quietest between 8am and 10am or after 6pm.
3. Check your branch, not the chain. Sainsbury’s alone lists 14 supermarkets with non-standard Boxing Day hours.
4. Be wary of undated tables. If a “2026” guide does not say where its times came from, or lists the wrong days of the week, it is probably last year’s.
5. Book a slot now. Tesco opened Christmas booking to all customers on 5 November, and the best Christmas week slots go first.
6. Remember the Northern Ireland rule. Large stores there can only open from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday 27 December.
7. Know your fallbacks. Forecourt and motorway-service branches often keep different hours. Last year the Waitrose at Corley services opened on Boxing Day when most branches were shut.

How we checked these hours

Supermarkets publish Christmas hours in different ways. Aldi uses a national press release, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose add hours branch by branch, and most others announce in late November or December. For 2026, we only list hours a retailer has confirmed or published in its own store data.

For 2025 comparisons, we used retailers’ own pages wherever possible. Where national round-ups disagreed with each other, we left the figure out rather than guess. This page will be updated as each chain confirms its hours.

How to check your local supermarket’s Christmas hours

• Aldi: the Aldi Store Finder on the Aldi UK website.
• Lidl: the Lidl Plus app or Lidl’s online store finder.
• Sainsbury’s: Sainsbury’s store locator.
• Asda: the Asda store locator.
• Morrisons: Morrisons store finder.
• M&S: M&S store listing.
• Co-op: the Co-op store finder.
• Waitrose: Waitrose Christmas opening hours page.
• Tesco: the Tesco store locator, plus Tesco’s Christmas page.

Supermarket Christmas opening hours 2026: FAQs

Are supermarkets open on Christmas Day 2026?

No. Every major supermarket will be closed on Friday 25 December, and in England, Wales and Scotland the law stops large stores from opening. Some small independent shops and petrol-station shops may open.

Which supermarkets are open on Boxing Day 2026?

Sainsbury’s lists 9am to 6pm at 601 of its 615 supermarkets, and Tesco says its stores will open on reduced hours. Asda and Morrisons opened 9am to 6pm last year but have not confirmed 2026. Aldi will be closed.

Is Aldi open on Boxing Day 2026?

No. Aldi has confirmed every UK store will close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and reopen on Sunday 27 December.

Is Lidl open on Boxing Day 2026?

Lidl has not confirmed yet. Last year most of its stores in England and Wales outside the M25 were closed, while London stores opened 10am to 6pm and Scottish stores 11am to 5pm.

What time do supermarkets close on Christmas Eve 2026?

Sainsbury’s lists 7pm at most of its supermarkets, and Tesco Express stays open until 10pm. Most other big chains closed between 6pm and 7pm last year.

Are supermarkets open on 28 December 2026?

Monday 28 December is the Boxing Day bank holiday this year. Aldi will be open, and the other big chains are expected to open on bank holiday hours, though none has published times yet.

Are supermarkets open on New Year’s Day 2027?

Aldi has confirmed it will be closed. Last year Asda and Morrisons opened 9am to 6pm, while Lidl closed outside the M25.

When will the other supermarkets confirm their hours?

Lidl announced its 2024 hours on 28 November, and most chains confirm between late November and mid-December. We will update this page as each one does.