Tesco trials shorter opening hours in Express stores

Tesco is considering shutting some of its stores an hour earlier after being hit with a £235m increase in staff costs following changes to National Insurance contributions.

The supermarket chain is thought to be trialling shorter opening hours at its Express convenience stores, closing at 10pm instead of 11pm.

The retailer is understood to have fewer employees on shift when the stores are open, The Telegraph reported.

Retail staff have been informed the shorter hours are being tested in a small number of Tesco’s less profitable stores.

A spokesman told the publication the changes were designed 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,” they added.

The trial comes as Tesco looks to offset the £235m in added costs arising from changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions that took effect in April.

Businesses now pay a tax equivalent to 15% of their employees’ salary, up from 13.8%. The tax threshold has also slipped from £9,100 to £5,000.

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