Sainsbury’s chief executive has written to customers saying the grocer will be extending trading hours at supermarkets and convenience stores to reduce queuing inside and outside stores.

In a letter to customers yesterday, Mike Coupe said by next week “the vast majority” of the grocer’s supermarkets would be open from 8am until 10pm, and opening hours in many convenience stores would also be extended to 11pm.

Coupe said this action was being taken to “reduce queuing times both inside and outside our stores” due to the social distancing measures put in place to protect customers and staff.

Sainsbury’s would also be installing additional protective screens between manned checkouts in a further 150 stores, allowing for more checkouts to be staffed.

Coupe also said Sainsbury’s home delivery and click-and-collect services “are in more demand than ever before”. He said the retailer was aiming to offer 600,000 online slots per week by the end of April.

He added that Sainsbury’s would be expanding its on-demand delivery service ChopChop to London zones 1 and 2, and would begin reopening its petrol filling station stores from next week, with additional safety screens in place.

The letter concluded by calling on customers to “please help us make our colleagues’ jobs easier by showing them kindness and respect at all times”.