Co-op, Lidl and Tesco to change opening times for Euro 2020 final

9 July 2021, 17:37 | Updated: 9 July 2021, 18:01

Co-op, Lidl and Tesco have altered their opening hours for the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy on Sunday.

Both Co-op and Tesco Express stores in England will be closing their doors at 7:45pm, so staff can catch the momentous game.

It is set to kick off at 8pm at Wembley Stadium - the first major international football final to take place there in 25 years.

Chief operating officer at Co-op, Chris Whitfield, said: "We appreciate just how much this means to many of our store colleagues and we want them to be able to celebrate at home with their family and friends.

The adjustment to store opening hours was announced on Twitter, with Co-op saying: "It's not just football coming home, our colleagues are going home!"

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Meanwhile, Lidl have changed their opening times for the following day, telling customers that "England stores will open an hour later on Monday if England win".

The chain said staff deserved "a Lidl more time" to recover from the potential win on Sunday night.

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This comes after the Prime Minister urged businesses to let staff start late on Monday.

Speaking after England's semi-final win against Denmark, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "We would want businesses who feel able to consider it if they can but we recognise it will vary depending on the business and company."

There have been calls for Monday to be made a bank holiday too, with a government petition receiving over 300,000 signatures.

Despite the huge support, Boris Johnson has said deciding beforehand would be "tempting fate".