Aldi and Poundland have revealed when their stores will be open over the festive period.
In the run-up to Christmas, Aldi is extending its opening hours from 7am to 10pm from Monday 19 December to give shoppers more time to pick up last-minute food, drink and gifts.
Stores will generally be open until 6pm on Christmas Eve, but customers should check local store details online to avoid disappointment.
Aldi will close its stores as usual on Christmas Day, and will once again keep all stores shut on Boxing Day as a thank you to colleagues for their hard work throughout the year.
Most Aldis will also be open from 8am until 8pm inbetween Christmas and New Year, and until 6pm on New Year’s Eve.
Stores will also be open until 8pm on Bank Holiday Monday (January 2) 2023.
Poundland will close all its stores on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, as well as Christmas Day, to give staff a break.
Shoppers can check opening times for their local Poundland on its website.
Poundland people director Simone Wells said: "We really appreciate how hard colleagues work during the year and are closing the stores on the extra days over Christmas and New Year so they enjoy a well-deserved break with friends and family."
Aldi is hiring 100 area managers for its stores - and the roles pay up to £81,000.
The discount supermarket has opened up its training programme for area managers.
People taking part get a year of training.
After that they'll have all the skills they need to run all Aldi branches in an area.
Salaries start from £44,000 for successful applicants in the first year, with permanent contracts offered after that point.
Pay rises to more than £81,000 by the fifth year.
Those interested in applying for the area manager scheme should visit https://www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/area-manager-programme.
Aldi also said it will soon be hiring for 6,000 more jobs.
The areas where Aldi is still looking to bring new stores include Bath and Birmingham, as well as smaller towns such as Penzance and Maidenhead.
Aldi is looking for specific locations for its new stores.
It wants freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites that are suitable for property development.
Some of the areas Aldi is targeting across the country include:
- South East – Caversham, Farnham, Maidenhead and Worthing
- South West – Bath, Teignmouth and Penzance
- West Midlands – Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick
- East Midlands – Chesterfield, Leicester and Derby
- East of England – Cheshunt, Brentwood and Rayleigh
- North West – Warrington, West Didsbury and Formby
- North East – Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland
- Yorkshire – Harrogate, Otley and York
- Scotland – Cathcart, Bonnyrigg and Ladysmill
- Wales – Barry and Chepstow
