Asda to close all stores on Boxing Day to give staff extra day off

10 December 2020, 07:52

Asda have announced that it will stay shut on Christmas Day and give their staff a bonus.

Asda have joined a number of other UK stores in deciding not to open on Boxing Day to give their staff a well-deserved day off.

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The supermarket, which has 631 stores across the country, usually opens at reduced hours on 26 December, but it has confirmed it will stay closed and offer frontline staff a bonus.

Staff who were due to work on 26 December will still be paid.

In previous years, Asda have set a maximum amount each employee can receive as a bonus, and the sum they receive depends on their performance.

This year, however, all staff will receive the full amount - with the sum varying between employees.

They will receive the bonuses in the February 2021 paycheck.

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In a message to colleagues, Asda boss Roger Burnley said: "This has been a challenging year and you have all done an incredible job, continuing to serve our customers and communities while juggling so many other commitments.

“But it’s also been challenging from a personal perspective as we have not been able to spend time with our families and friends, which has been hard for us all."

All Asda stores will close from 7pm on Christmas Eve and reopen on December 27.

The news comes soon after Marks and Spencer announced that they, too, will close all stores on 26 December.

CEO of M&S Steve Rowe said in a statement: "We have taken the decision to close our operations on Boxing Day, so that our colleagues can enjoy more special time with their loved ones.

"This is a big decision, but it is absolutely the right one given the incredible effort everyone has made in the most challenging of circumstances."

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