What time do shops close on Christmas Eve UK? Shop closing times for England, Wales, Scotland and NI

With just one more sleep until Christmas, shoppers are flocking to shopping centres and supermarkets to pick up some last minute presents.

This year, Christmas Eve (December 24) falls on Sunday, which means that instead of the usual opening hours, shoppers will instead find themselves having to contend with Sunday trading hours, which are in place across the UK.

Opening times will vary depending on where you live in the UK, with Scotland and Northern Ireland having slightly different opening and closing times to England and Wales. Some supermarkets have also decided to close on Boxing Day, making grabbing those last minute items even more essential. Here's everything you need to know about when the shops close on Christmas Eve.

What time do the shops close on Christmas Eve?

The time your local shops and supermarkets will close on Christmas Eve will depend on where you live in the UK. As Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, that means that normal Sunday trading hours will apply.

In England, shops and big supermarkets including Aldi, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons are expected to stay open from 10am and close at 4pm. The same times are expected in Wales, with smaller convenience stores possibly staying open until 9pm. In Scotland, stores will be open longer with some expected to remain trading until 6pm or 7pm.

However in Northern Ireland, stricter Sunday trading laws mean that shoppers will only have a short window to pick up last minute gifts and food essentials. Both shops, shopping centres and the big supermarkets will only be open from 1pm to 6pm. Smaller convenience or express stores may be open until 7pm.

Will supermarkets be open on Christmas Day?

On Christmas Day, big supermarkets will be shutting their doors to allow staff a much-needed day off to celebrate with family and friends, with Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi taking the day off.

What time do the shops open on Boxing Day?

The vast majority of shops and supermarkets across the UK will open between 9am and 6pm on Boxing Day. However, Aldi and Marks and Spencer will stayed closed for both Christmas Day and Boxing Day to allow staff two days to recuperate over the festive period.