As the school year resumes and fall approaches, many individuals are already looking ahead to the winter season and the festive period of Christmas. Those keen on early holiday planning are eager to know about the closing times of stores. Retailers such as Home Bargains and B&M have disclosed their Christmas operating hours.
Similarly, Sainsbury’s has exclusively informed the Daily Mirror about its closure schedule for December, including a full-day shutdown across the UK on Christmas Day, in compliance with the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004. This legislation mandates the closure of large stores to allow employees to have a holiday break, enabling them to celebrate the occasion with their families.
Christmas Day holds significant cultural and religious importance for many in the UK, and the law recognizes this by ensuring businesses remain closed, giving retail staff the opportunity to rest and enjoy the holiday season.
A spokesperson from Sainsbury’s shared the supermarket’s 2025 Christmas schedule, revealing that most supermarkets and convenience stores will operate from 6am to 11pm between December 18 and 23. On Christmas Eve, supermarkets will be open from 6am to 7pm, and convenience stores from 6am to 9pm. All Sainsbury’s stores will be closed on Christmas Day.
For the following days, supermarkets will open from 9am to 6pm on Boxing Day and convenience stores from 9am to 9pm. From December 27 to 30, stores will resume normal operating hours. On New Year’s Eve, supermarkets will open from 10am to 7pm and convenience stores from 6am to 9pm. On New Year’s Day, supermarkets will operate from 8am to 8pm and convenience stores from 9am to 9pm.
The petrol filling stations at Sainsbury’s will align their opening times with the main stores, opening 30 minutes before and closing 30 minutes after, except on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve when they will open an hour later.
In Scotland, stores will be open from 8am to 8pm on January 2, with convenience stores following regular hours. Customers are advised to check the store locator on https://stores.sainsburys.co.uk/ for the latest information on opening hours in their area.
Important dates to note for this holiday season include Christmas Eve on December 24, Christmas Day on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26, New Year’s Eve on December 31, and New Year’s Day on January 1, 2026.