Tesco to axe 24-hour timings at stores with low footfalls

UK retail chain Tesco has axed 24-hour timings at two large stores, and other shops that see low nighttime footfalls would also follow the lead as the retailer looked to cut costs.

As part of chief Dave Lewis's efforts to restore the group's fortunes, Tesco would shut one Extra outlet and one superstore as not enough customers were using them. The supermarkets would now close at midnight and reopen at 6 am.

The company did not disclose the stores' locations while staff were being consulted and said the impact on jobs would be limited as night operations – restacking shelves and picking goods for online deliveries would continue as usual.

According to The Grocer, other large stores would also cut their nighttime operations, though Tesco said no decision had been taken yet.

A Tesco spokeswoman said, ''We're always thinking about how to best serve customers in each of our stores. Where there is a case to look at the opening hours of a store, we will do so, but any decisions will be made locally and our colleagues will be the first to know.''

Tesco pioneered round the clock shopping in 1996, saying it wanted to help customers shop whenever they wanted to. It came as part of a wider shift to a 24-hour society as an increasing number of people, expected to work night shifts.

However, with online shopping for groceries and home deliveries or 'click and collect', meant people really did not need to go to the supermarket late at night.

Tesco, which is the UK's biggest retailer currently, has round-the-clock operations at 400 stores, most of which are its large Extra and superstore outlets. With shopper numbers low a number of stores had not been able to cover the cost of keeping the doors open.

Earlier this month Tesco had confirmed the sale of its South Korean business for £4 billion to a consortium of buyers led by Asian private equity firm MBK Partners, with the proceeds to go towards repaying debt (See: UK retailer Tesco confirms sale of S Korean business for £4 bn).