Supermarkets, festivals and schools to close early or open late for Euro final

The nation has adjusted its schedule in response to the England v Spain showdown in Berlin on Sunday

Supermarkets, festivals, schools and workplaces in England are expected to either close early or open late to watch the Euro 2024 final.

As football fever takes hold of the nation, all eyes will be on Berlin this Sunday for the England v Spain showdown.

Amid calls for an extra bank holiday in the event of a victory, Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should "certainly mark the occasion," without any formal plans in place yet.

But in the meantime, some businesses and institutions across the country are making special accommodations to ensure fans can enjoy the historic match.

Here, ITV News explains how the nation has adjusted its schedule for the big game.

Supermarkets

Tesco

Tesco is to close its Express stores in England early, with the UK's biggest grocer closing at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10pm or 11pm to allow employees to watch.

It said the move would allow thousands of colleagues to get home or to the pub in time for kick-off, while still receiving their normal pay for those hours.

All stores will reopen as normal the following morning, with the majority from 6am or 7am.

Tesco reassured customers that stores would still be open as normal during the daytime on Sunday, so they can stock up on any essential pre-match supplies.

All online orders already placed for Sunday evening would be honoured and delivered as normal.

Stores in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland would continue to remain open in line with their usual hours.

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's has announced it is closing convenience stores and petrol filling stations across England early on Sunday.

Over a thousand branches will be closing at the earlier time of 7.30pm on Sunday. Usually opening hours vary, although they tend to open until 10pm or 11pm.

Online orders will still be delivered and all branches will reopen at their usual time on Monday.

Lidl

Lidl has warned shoppers it will open all stores in England one hour later than usual on Monday.

In a post on it's social media sites, the chain reasoned it would allow colleagues to "enjoy post-match celebrations".

Co-op

Co-op is so far the only supermarket to release a statement assuring hours will be kept as usual.

In a statement to ITV News, the grocer said that while normal services remain: "Frontline colleagues are able to show their support by wearing their football shirts and we will be as flexible as possible with those requesting shift swaps in order to watch the game.”

Pubs

Pubs are hoping for a nearly £48 million boost, with landlords expecting to pour an extra 10 million pints from the pre-match build-up to the final whistle.

Thousands of those pints will flow during the late night licensing hours, with pubs in England allowed to remain open until 1am for fans to either celebrate or drown their sorrows.

British Beer And Pub Association chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “On what promises to be a hugely exciting day for the country we expect an incredible 10 million extra pints to be poured in our pubs this Sunday to toast England’s Euros final."

Concerts

Wireless Festival

Wireless festival has said it will finish early on Sunday so music fans have “plenty of time to travel home to watch the Euro final”. It comes following the announcement that Friday acts Flo Milli and Veeze and Sunday performers Tyla and Digga D will no longer perform at the London music event. Instead of announcing replacement Sunday artists, the festival revealed it would finish at 7pm following a headline set from American rapper and singer Doja Cat. In comparison, Friday’s headliner Nicki Minaj will finish at 10.20pm, while Saturday’s headliner rapper 21 Savage will finish at 10.15pm.

John Bishop show

After England's success against the Netherlands on Wednesday, which saw Ollie Watkins net a 90th-minute goal, stand-up comic John Bishop said his Wolverhampton gig would be moved to an afternoon slot so he can watch the game.

Schools and workplaces

Schools across the country have announced "soft starts" on Monday morning, allowing parents to bring their children in later than usual so they can stay up to watch the game.

But this is not a blanket rule and each institution sets their own timetable so parents should consult with schools for clarity.

In the same vein, workplaces will make such a decision at their own discretion and employees should speak with their employers before arriving late.

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