When was the last time you went shopping in the middle of the night?

It may well have been online, which trades 24/7 and where you can often order up until as late as midnight for next day delivery.

Or if it is food you’re after, you might have bought from the ‘eat tonight’ shelf in a c-store, whether independent or run by one of the larger grocers.

So perhaps it is no surprise that Tesco is ending 24-hour trading in another eight big stores, and moving from night to day replenishment at 69 branches.

It sounds like the right thing to do as the retailer seeks to create a leaner, more customer-centric core business.

That focus on what works, or what is outmoded, provides encouragement that it will not lose sight of its prime purpose as it gears up to take control of wholesaler Booker.

On which, we wrote today about investor appetite for the deal after broker Bernstein conducted a poll of shareholders.

You can also see Argos’s latest ad campaign, promoting its same-day delivery options and breadth of range, and find out about Superdry and Smiggle’s out-of-town debuts.

Quote of the day

“Unless you are doing something better than Amazon or the local equivalent, something interesting and special, you are going to struggle.”

Debenhams chairman Sir Ian Cheshire, speaking at the World Retail Congress in Dubai.

Today in numbers

0.8%

Overall shop price deflation in March, according to the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index

70%

Proportion of Tesco and Booker investors that would vote in favour of a merger, according to a poll by broker Bernstein

Tomorrow’s agenda

The Co-op issues full-year results and Mothercare updates on fourth-quarter trading.

And, as Google Home launches in the UK, read our take on how voice technology and virtual assistants could change retail.

George MacDonald, executive editor

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