Euro 2024 final latest: Prince William sends message to England team ahead of final; pub opening hours extended

Hopefully it will be coming home on Sunday, but if you are hoping to stock up on celebratory snacks, you might have to pop to your supermarket earlier than expected. 

Several chains have said they will be shutting up shop early on game day to let staff watch the Euro 2024 final – but it looks like they’re still on track to record a bumper weekend of sales. 

Here’s what supermarkets are planning to do: 

Tesco

The UK’s biggest supermarket chain has told customers its Express stores across England will close at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10pm or 11pm on Sunday. 

It said the decision had been taken to allow its staff to get home or to the pub in time for kick-off at 8pm. 

Employees who do not want to watch the match will be paid as normal, it said. 

Stores will be open as normal the following morning. 

Sainsbury’s

The supermarket has announced it is closing more than a thousand convenience stores and petrol stations at 7.30pm on Sunday, rather than 10pm or 11pm.

“We want to give our colleagues the chance to tune in live and cheer on England with friends and family. The atmosphere in stores is electric after last night’s win,” said Clodagh Moriarty, chief retail and technology officer.

Supermarket hours are unaffected, as they usually close before the 8pm kick-off. 

Any online grocery orders which have already been booked will be honoured.

All branches will reopen at their usual time on Monday.

Lidl

While Lidl isn’t closing early (it already follows Sunday trading hours so will shut at 4pm), it is opening later on Monday to let its staff enjoy some of the post match celebrations.

This means most stores will open at 9am instead of 8am. 

However, opening times vary from store to store, so shoppers are encouraged to check their nearest Lidl hours via its online locator. 

Ryan McDonnell, CEO of Lidl GB, said: “We know how much this game means to England fans, and we want to ensure that our colleagues have the chance to celebrate such a significant moment in English football history.” 

Regular hours will resume the following day on Tuesday 16 July. 

Aldi

Aldi will already be closed for the game, as it follows Sunday trading hours. 

Stores will be open from 10am to 4pm. 

Morrisons

Morrisons currently doesn’t have any plans to shut early on Sunday. 

Its stores will be operating from 10am until 4pm, and their petrol stations will be open from 6am to 12am. 

We did contact Asda and Waitrose for their plans, but we haven’t received a response yet.