Tesco to trial shorter opening hours in selected branches

The trial will see branches close at 10pm rather than 11pm and is expected to occur in its least busy stores.

Tesco said the move would make the outlets more “efficient” and “simpler” as it looks to cut £500m from its overheads, partly driven by cost increases from the Budget.

A Tesco spokesperson said it is trialling “some tweaks” to operations with the aim of making things “simpler” for staff and stores the “most efficient”.

They added: “Our Express format is a strong and growing business, providing great value and convenience for customers on their doorstep.

“These changes aren’t visible to our customers, who will continue to receive the same great service they expect, and there are no changes to the range of products we sell.”

It is reported that redundancies will not be made as part of the changes; however, some colleagues may need to move to other stores.

Usdaw, the union which represents Tesco store workers, said it has not agreed to the change.

Usdaw national officer Daniel Adams said: “Usdaw has not agreed to this change and we will be monitoring the trials closely to assess the impact on our members.

“The union has repeatedly raised issues with the business around the risks of low staffing and retains significant concerns around how this trial will work.

“While we have been assured by the company that they do not anticipate any redundancies from this process, we are aware it may involve staff transferring to other stores.

“That in itself can cause problems with travel, caring commitments and shift patterns; so we will be fully supporting our members affected by this trial.”