business correspondent,London(wp/es):
Shoppers may no longer be able to make late-night shopping runs in their pyjamas as Tesco is set to scrap 24-hour openings at one in four of its biggest stores.
A total of 76 stores — including two in London — will now shut at midnight as bosses admitted not enough shoppers were coming through its doors during the night, meaning to keep them open was financially damaging.
The cutback comes as the supermarket’s boss Dave Lewis attempts to win back customers who have flocked to discounters Aldi and Lidl, while tackling an accounting scandal that remains under investigation by the police.
The move to reduce the number of 24-hour stores comes 20 years after the first Tesco opened through the night.
In London, Tesco’s Lewisham superstore and Woolwich Extra store will end overnight shopping in March or April. Around 300 stores will remain open 24 hours, but could be shut overnight if they too are unsustainable.
Tony Hoggett, retail director for Tesco, said: “We’re always thinking about how to serve our customers better in each of our stores and with the growth of online grocery shopping, these stores saw very few customers during the night. It makes much more sense for colleagues at those stores to focus on replenishing the shelves instead and making sure they’re fully stocked when they open at 6am.”
Shoppers are increasingly heading online for their groceries, with sales up 15% in the first half of last year. By comparison, sales in larger Tesco stores have slumped by as much as 10% in places.
The decision comes in a week that saw the supermarket watchdog reveal Tesco had seriously breached legally binding rules by deliberately and repeatedly withholding cash from suppliers.
Shoppers may no longer be able to make late-night shopping runs in their pyjamas as Tesco is set to scrap 24-hour openings at one in four of its biggest stores.
A total of 76 stores — including two in London — will now shut at midnight as bosses admitted not enough shoppers were coming through its doors during the night, meaning to keep them open was financially damaging.
The cutback comes as the supermarket’s boss Dave Lewis attempts to win back customers who have flocked to discounters Aldi and Lidl, while tackling an accounting scandal that remains under investigation by the police.
The move to reduce the number of 24-hour stores comes 20 years after the first Tesco opened through the night.
In London, Tesco’s Lewisham superstore and Woolwich Extra store will end overnight shopping in March or April. Around 300 stores will remain open 24 hours, but could be shut overnight if they too are unsustainable.
Tony Hoggett, retail director for Tesco, said: “We’re always thinking about how to serve our customers better in each of our stores and with the growth of online grocery shopping, these stores saw very few customers during the night. It makes much more sense for colleagues at those stores to focus on replenishing the shelves instead and making sure they’re fully stocked when they open at 6am.”
Shoppers are increasingly heading online for their groceries, with sales up 15% in the first half of last year. By comparison, sales in larger Tesco stores have slumped by as much as 10% in places.
The decision comes in a week that saw the supermarket watchdog reveal Tesco had seriously breached legally binding rules by deliberately and repeatedly withholding cash from suppliers.
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