Easter weekend is one of the most confusing times of the year for grocery shopping in the UK. Because Easter Sunday falls under mandatory trading closure rules for large stores in England and Wales, millions of shoppers find themselves caught off guard by unexpected store closures.

In this guide, we break down exact opening rules day-by-day across Easter weekend for Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, Co-op, and Waitrose.

Day-by-Day Breakdown of Easter Opening Hours

1. Good Friday

Good Friday is a official bank holiday in the UK, but major supermarkets open on almost normal schedules:

• Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's & Morrisons: Most large stores open standard hours (typically 6:00 AM / 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM or 11:00 PM).
• Aldi & Lidl: Standard Friday trading hours (8:00 AM to 10:00 PM).
• Express Stores: Open normal hours (6:00 AM – 11:00 PM).

2. Easter Saturday

Easter Saturday is a standard trading day across all UK supermarkets. All major stores open regular Saturday hours (6:00 AM / 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM / 11:00 PM). This is usually the busiest grocery shopping day of the Easter weekend, so aim to shop before 10:00 AM.

3. Easter Sunday (MANDATORY CLOSURES)

Under the Sunday Trading Act 1994, all large supermarket stores (over 3,000 sq ft) in England and Wales MUST CLOSE on Easter Sunday.

• CLOSED in England & Wales: Tesco Extra, Tesco Superstore, ASDA Supercentres, Sainsbury's Supermarkets, Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, and Waitrose.
• OPEN in England & Wales: Convenience stores under 3,000 sq ft (Tesco Express, Sainsbury's Local, Co-op, Spar, One Stop, Premier, Londis) remain open!
• OPEN in Scotland: Scotland does not enforce Easter Sunday closures—large stores in Scotland open as normal (typically 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM).

4. Easter Monday

Supermarkets reopen across the UK on Easter Monday, but operating hours follow reduced Bank Holiday schedules (typically 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM or 8:00 PM for large stores).