A MAJOR bargain chain with 600 stores across the UK is closing its branches on Boxing Day.
Home Bargains has told The Sun it will shutter its hundreds of stores for three days over the festive period.
Its locations will close to customers on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to give staff a well-earned break.
A spokesperson for Home Bargains said: “We know how hard all our colleagues have worked throughout the year.
“Being a family-run business, we recognise the importance of spending quality time with our loved ones.
“Therefore, we feel it is only right to support our valued store teams by giving them extended time off around Christmas and New Year.”
The retailer also said all its stores will close earlier on Christmas Eve, shuttering at 5pm instead of the usual 8pm or 9pm.
The announcement today from Home Bargains means the retailer has closed on Boxing Day for the last four years.
It is the earliest it has confirmed it will shutter its branches on Boxing Day though.
It’s common practice for stores across the UK to close on Christmas Day, but not all retailers shut branches on Boxing Day.
Home Bargains is the first retailer to confirm its Christmas opening hours for this year.
Last year, a host of chains shuttered their doors to the public on Boxing Day to give staff time off.
DIY retailers Wickes, Homebase and Screwfix all shut their branches on December 26, joined by supermarkets M&S and Lidl.
Poundland, which currently runs over 850 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland, also closed its branches on Boxing Day.
If you’re keen to find out whether your favourite retailer will close its branches on Boxing Day, it’s worth keeping an eye on social media.
Chains often publicise their festive opening hours on X and Facebook.
You can also try using a retailer’s store locator tool which should tell you the opening hours for your local store.
Not only that, but it may have a number for you to call the store and clarify any questions you may have about opening hours.
In any case, make sure you plan ahead and find out what your local stores’ opening hours will be over the festive break to avoid a wasted trip.
The latest announcement from Home Bargains comes as it looks to open hundreds more stores across the UK.
The bargain retailer said in April it wants to add roughly 400 branches to its shop tally as part of major expansion plans as it reported a 10% rise in sales to around £3.7billion in the year to June 2023.
Home Bargains was established over 40 years ago in Liverpool and has grown to become one of the largest discounters in the UK.
It currently operates over 600 stores in the UK and employs more than 28,500 staff.
In other festive news, Tesco shoppers have been rushing to get their hands on Celebration tubs with just one iconic flavour.
Plus, customers have been left in shock after B&M launched its new Christmas range.
JUST because something is on offer, or is part of a sale, it doesn't mean it's always a good deal.
There are plenty of comparison websites out there that’ll check prices for you – so don’t be left paying more than you have to.
Most of them work by comparing the prices across hundreds of retailers.
Here are some that we recommend:
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