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Western Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Tesco set to change opening hours in some stores in the UK
The supermarket giant is reportedly looking to trial earlier closing times in different stores across the UK. It comes after the company was hit by a large rise in staff costs. Tesco said the change is to ensure these shops are running "in the most efficient way". Tesco set to change opening hours to stores in the UK A Tesco spokesperson told Newsquest said: 'Our Express format is a strong and growing business, providing great value and convenience for customers on their doorstep. "In a small number of stores, we are trialling some tweaks to our operational routines to make things simpler for our colleagues and to ensure that we are running these shops in the most efficient way. "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.' The Express stores will remain branded the same way and there will be no redundancies. The Telegraph reports that the chosen Tesco Express stores will be shutting an hour earlier, at 10pm rather than 11pm. 5 ways to save money on your weekly food shop It is not confirmed which stores will be affected, however, the Telegraph claims workers have been told the trial is taking place in some of Tesco's "less profitable stores". It is also understood that Tesco will be speaking to colleagues ahead of any changes to roles, including possible transfers. The change to opening hours comes after Tesco's chief executive, Ken Murphy, said that the supermarket needed to offset a number of extra costs following the Spring budget. In April, Tesco said it was facing a large rise in its staffing bill, which included an increase of £235m in National Insurance contributions in the latest financial year. Various changes at Tesco stores The trialling of new hours is not the only change at Tesco stores in the UK. Tesco has become the latest supermarket to roll out new "VAR-style" checkouts in some of its stores. The new self-service checkout systems feature a camera that records customers scanning and packing their shopping. Earlier this month, Sainsbury's also rolled out its own "VAR-style" checkouts. Tesco shoppers have also recently discovered a major change to bakery sections across stores in the UK. Customers have spotted notices being put up in bakeries stating that from 7pm, loose bakery products will be slashed to half price. What's the Difference Between Best Before and Use-By? It's been reported that this used to take place at 5pm, but it's been moved back by two hours, according to The Sun. The supermarket giant, which makes reductions to bakery items every day to help reduce food waste, confirmed to Newsquest that pastries and sweet treats are usually discounted at around 7pm, however, timings can vary by store. Tesco is also considering a major change at checkouts and to all products, according to Retail Gazette. Recommended reading: The supermarket giant has been trialling replacing traditional barcodes on 12 of its own-branded fresh produce and meat items at some of its stores across the UK. If successful, the move would see Tesco replace hundreds of product barcodes with QR code technology in its latest digital modernisation. The new scanning feature would provide shoppers with important nutritional information about the product they are buying.
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Tesco to run trial that will make major change to select smaller stores
The supermarket is running a trial that could impact shoppers Some Tesco stores will potentially be operating at reduced hours. In a new trial, select Express stores will be closing one hour earlier than usual. The largest UK supermarket chain's smaller convenience stores are often open from around 6am to 11pm, although the firm has confirmed that some of them will now be closing at 10pm. While it is unclear what branches have been affected by the move, it has been reported that employees have been told that the trial will be taking place in the least busy stores, according to the Independent. A spokesperson for Tesco confirmed to The Daily Record that, while the changes are "not visible to customers", they would be making "tweaks" to some of the store operations to ensure that they are being run "in the most efficient way". It is understood that the move will not result in any colleagues being made redundant, alongside no change in how the affected Express stores will be branded. However, the supermarket has highlighted that it always talks to its colleagues and will "take into account any individual circumstances", especially if they are required to transfer to a different store. A Tesco spokesperson told the Daily Record: "Our Express format is a strong and growing business, providing great value and convenience for customers on their doorstep. "In a small number of stores, we are trialling some tweaks to our operational routines to make things simpler for our colleagues and to ensure that we are running these shops in the most efficient way. "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." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The new trial comes after it was reported that Tesco would be looking to make a £500 million cut to help "offset higher operation costs." Chief Executive Ken Murphy has said that the decision was made partly because of the recent tax hikes announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves that came into effect in April. Other contributing factors the firm was said to warn of include price rises and inflation as a result of increase in employer's national insurance contributions (NICs). According to the Retail Gazette, Tesco is said to have had £235 million in added costs due to the NICs that the government recently announced. In other Tesco related news, we recently reported that the supermarket would be bringing back an extremely popular beer from the 90s that was discontinued in 2003. The supermarket is set to stock the once beloved Double Diamond that was recently brought back to UK pubs last year - although none of them are based in Scotland. With an ABV of 3.8 per cent, Tesco's version of the pale ale has been made from a new recipe that features Citra, Colombus and Mosaic hops.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major change coming to Tesco stores as company trials new opening hours after Rachel Reeves' tax raid
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TESCO is trialling new opening hours in a major change following soaring costs after Rachel Reeves' tax raid. The supermarket is testing out new hours in a bid to cut staffing costs. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Tesco CEO Ken Murphy previously slammed the changes in the Budget Credit: Reuters 3 It is unclear how many stores will be in the trial Credit: PA Workers were told that a few of the Tesco Express stores which don't rake in as much cash will be the testing grounds. These Tesco stores will shut an hour earlier, at 10pm instead of 11pm. They will also have fewer staff working during these hours, The Telegraph reported. It is understood that the trial is only taking place in a "small number" of stores, but the exact number is unclear. A spokesperson said the shake up is to ensure the shops are being run in the "most efficient way". The move comes after Tesco's chief executive said that the supermarket is facing a wave of soaring costs following the Chancellor's tax raid in April. Tesco said it was facing a rise in staffing costs, in part due to a £235m increase in National Insurance contributions and the rise in minimum wage. The chain previously warned it would be axing £500million of costs to tackle this. Retailers are believed to be facing around £7billion in extra costs following the Budget. A Tesco spokesperson said: "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." The basic wage for workers aged over 21 increased from £11.44 to £12.21 — instantly hiking staffing costs. But most firms are more concerned about the dramatic changes to employers' National Insurance Contributions, which will make hiring even tougher. Companies have warned that the changes are to drastically impact part-time workers, soon to become 13 per cent more expensive overnight. The contributions will go up from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent from April 6, but the main impact comes from lowering the threshold it starts being paid at from £9,000 to £5,000, roping in many more part-time staff. One FTSE chief executive told The Sun that it was 'completely the wrong strategy for the Government to be pursuing if they want to encourage more people back into work with flexible jobs'. Meanwhile, a slew of reports suggest companies are already cutting jobs, freezing hiring and preparing to hike prices, with inflation predicted to hit 3.5 per cent later this year.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Tesco to close its Express stores an hour earlier after being hit by £235million in Rachel Reeves' tax raid
Tesco is set to close its Express stores an hour earlier after the supermarket giant was hit by a £235million rise in staff costs by Rachel Reeves ' tax raid. The chain is trialling shorter opening hours at the Express stores, it is understood, closing some at 10pm rather than the usual 11pm. Meanwhile, Tesco is also anticipated to have less staff running those stores during their opening hours, The Telegraph first reported. The changes were created to 'make things simpler for our colleagues and to ensure that we are running these shops in the most efficient way', a spokesman said - adding that the trial will take place in a number of stores. It comes after Tesco's chief executive Ken Murphy revealed the supermarket giant was doing its best to offset a burst of extra costs following Reeves' tax raid, which took effect from April this year. After the raid was announced, Tesco said it was facing a serious rise in its staffing bill, including a £235million increase in National Insurance contributions. Under the changes, employers fork out a tax equivalent to 15 per cent of their workers' pay packets, an increase from 13.8 per cent previously. Tesco is dealing with affected staff and considering individual circumstances and whether they need to transfer to another store, it is understood. A spokesman for the chain said: '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.' In April, Tesco warned its profits would drop by as much as 14per cent this year as it gets ready to invest £400million in price cuts.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Major change coming to some Tesco stores
Tesco is set to close some of its stores one hour earlier in a move it said would make the outlets more 'efficient' and 'simpler'. The UK's largest supermarket is understood to be trialling shorter opening hours in some Tesco Express branches, which will close at 10pm rather than the current 11pm. Employees have been told the trial is taking place in some of Tesco's least busy stores. It comes as Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy said last month that the company is looking to cut £500 million from its overheads to 'help offset new operating cost inflation', partly due to recent tax hikes by chancellor Rachel Reeves, which came into effect in April. The company warned of price rises and inflation as a result of the government's increase in employer national insurance contributions (NICs) late last year. A spokesperson for the supermarket said it is trialling 'some tweaks' to their operational routine to make things 'simpler' for its employees and to make sure shops are being run 'in the most efficient way'. It is understood Tesco will not be making redundancies as a result of these changes, but some may be required to move to other stores. However, Usdaw, the union that represents Tesco workers, has said it has not agreed to this change. Daniel Adams, Usdaw national officer, said: 'Usdaw has not agreed 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 retain 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.' A Tesco spokesperson 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.' When previously asked if the savings drive could mean cutting jobs, Mr Murphy said: 'We never rule that out, but at the same time, we have a track record of managing it very well.' Nonetheless, Tesco also reported bumper sales for the most recent financial year, up 3.5 per cent to £63.6 billion. The rate of employer NICs increased from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent in April. At the same time, the government lowered the salary threshold at which companies start paying NICs from £9,100 to £5,000. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said changes to NICs and wages will cost retailers another £5 billion over the next year.
