Many shops and supermarkets are traditionally closed or operate at different hours on Easter Sunday.
And with supermarket staff being some of the key workers who kept the country turning during nearly a year of lockdowns and shut downs, a day off is well-deserved.
However, you still might need to pop out and pick some essentials up. Whether it’s food for the bank holiday or you want to grab some bits before going off to meet your friend for the first time in a while – with the rule of six having been reintroduced on March 29 – which shops will be open Easter Sunday?
Read on to find out…
Are supermarkets and shops open on Easter Sunday?
Government guidelines around trading hours for retailers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland state that any shops over 280 square metres (3,000 square foot) must be closed on Easter Sunday by law.
This means that all major supermarkets will not be open on Easter Sunday (April 4).
However, if you find yourself in urgent need of picking up essential supplies on Easter Sunday there are certain stores that are exempt from this law.
This includes registered pharmacies selling only medicinal products and medical and surgical appliances, shops and metro supermarkets at service stations and farm shops that sell primarily their own produce.
Supermarkets that have smaller stores under 280 square metres may also be open but with shorter opening hours than usual.
Other non-essential shops – like clothes shops – are still closed until April 12 at the earliest in England, following the national lockdown back in January.
Shops open on Easter Sunday
To be sure that your local shop or small supermarket is open, check online for information about their opening hours on their website, but the following ‘mini’ or local supermarkets and shops are expected to be open:
- Tesco Express – expected to trade as normal, check your local store online
- Sainsbury’s Local – expected to trade as normal, check your local store online
- Waitrose stores (at Shell and Welcome Break service stations only) – differs by location.
- Co-Op convenience stores – expected to trade as normal, check your local store online
- McColls – each store is managed to meet local regulations, check with your local.
- Lidl (Scotland only) – open as normal
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