Major supermarket to close majority of its branches on Boxing Day but 76 will open – is yours on the list?
A MAJOR supermarket will be closing all except 76 of its stores on Boxing Day this year, in a move which might frustrate shoppers outside of London.
Iceland will close most of its more than 1,000 stores across the UK on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but has made the decision to keep a limited number open on the December 26.
The vast majority of the stores which are opening are in central London, and include shops in Deptford, Stepney, Peckham and Clapham.
Only one Iceland store outside the M25, the retailer’s branch in Slough, will open on Boxing Day.
So if you need any last minute essentials for guests coming over, you may want to check whether your local store will be open.
You can do this by checking on Iceland’s website, where the opening hours for individual shops are listed.
Lots of the stores will be open from 9am until 8pm, with some staying open an hour later, until 9pm, and others operating shorter Sunday trading or Bank Holiday hours.
Iceland is yet to confirm whether any of the stores will also open on New Year’s Day, 1 January 2025, which is also a Bank Holiday in the UK.
Iceland is just one of a number of retailers closing for both 25 and 26 December.
Companies often want to reward staff who have to work particularly hard in the run-up to the festive season, and footfall on Boxing Day can be low.
While the major supermarkets – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda – will be open on Boxing Day, neither Aldi, Lidl or M&S open any of their stores.
So it will be possible to stock up on more gravy if you need to.
Other retailers such as Home Bargains and John Lewis will also remain closed until 27 December.
The Sun has contacted Iceland for a comment.
You can check out the full list of Iceland store open on Boxing Day below:
- Ruislip 9am-8pm
- South Harrow 9am-8pm
- Wealdstone 9am-8pm
- Slough (3) 9am-8pm
- Harlesden 9am-8pm
- Maida Hill 9am-8pm
- Cricklewood 9am-8pm
- East Acton 9am-8pm
- Wembley 9am-9pm
- Southall 9am-9pm
- Burnt Oak 9am-8pm
- Sudbury Hill 9am-8pm
- Greenford 9am-8pm
- Kilburn High Road 9am-8pm
- Kentish Town 9am-8pm
- Edmonton 9am-8pm
- East Finchley 9am-8pm
- Kingsbury 9am-9pm
- Waltham Cross 9am-8pm
- Archway 9am-8pm
- Stepney 9am-9pm
- Hackney 9am-8pm
- Tottenham 9am-8pm
- Holloway 9am-8pm
- Haringey 9am-8pm
- Caledonian Road 9am-8pm
- Dalston 11am-5pm
- Chapel Market 9am-8pm
- Hackney (2) 9am-8pm
- Leyton 9am-8pm
- Stoke Newington 9am-8pm
- Tottenham Food Warehouse 9am-8pm
- Finsbury Park 9am-8pm
- Plaistow 9am-9pm
- Upton Park 9am-9pm
- Leytonstone 9am-9pm
- Plaistow B Rd 9am-8pm
- Canning Town 9am-8pm
- Bethnal Green 9am-9pm
- Bow 9am-9pm
- Poplar 9am-9pm
- Forest Gate 9am-9pm
- Beckton 9am-8pm
- Stratford (2) 10am-6pm
- East Ham (2) 9am-9pm
- Barking 9am-9pm
- Gants Hill 9am-9pm
- Ilford 9am-9pm
- Harold Hill 9am-8pm
- Chadwell Heath 9am-8pm
- Dagenham Heathway Centre 10am-4pm
- Plumstead 9am-8pm
- Woolwich (2) 9am-8pm
- Charlton Food Warehouse 9am-8pm
- Deptford 9am-8pm
- Bermondsey 9am-8pm
- Walworth Road 9am-9pm
- Camberwell 9am-8pm
- Catford 9am-8pm
- Old Kent Road Food Warehouse 9am-8pm
- Lewisham (2) 9am-9pm
- Peckham (2) 9am-9pm
- Hayes End 9am-8pm
- Hounslow West 9am-9pm
- Tolworth 9am-8pm
- Hayes Town 9am-9pm
- Feltham 9am-8pm
- Hounslow (2) 9am-9pm
- New Addington 9am-8pm
- Downham 9am-8pm
- Brixton 9am-9pm
- West Norwood 9am-8pm
- Clapham 9am-8pm
- Stockwell 9am-8pm
- Norbury 9am-9pm
- Fulham 9am-8pm
Why do retailers close on Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.So why do retailers decide to close?
Senior consumer reporter Olivia Marshall explains.
Closing on Boxing Day allows staff to have a well-deserved break after the busy Christmas period.
This can help improve staff morale and reduce burnout.
It also provides them with an opportunity to spend time with their families and friends during the festive season.
For some retailers, the cost of opening on Boxing Day, including staffing and operational expenses, may not be justified by the expected sales revenue, especially if customer footfall is low.
With the rise of online shopping, some retailers may focus on online sales and promotions rather than opening physical stores on Boxing Day.
For some businesses, it may also be a long-standing tradition for them to remain closed on Boxing Day.
From a practical perspective, the day after Christmas can be used for inventory checks, restocking, and preparing for post-Christmas sales.
This can be more effectively done without the distraction of serving customers