The Entertainer to close for three days over Christmas to give staff a break
TOY chain The Entertainer will close its stores for three days over Christmas to give its staff a break.
The retailer will remain shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and December 27 this year.
It follows similar action from Wickes, Home Bargains, Aldi, M&S and Pets at Home, who will all remain shut on Boxing Day.
The Entertainer, which has 171 shops across the UK, will still be open on Christmas Eve for parents to snag very last-minute presents.
Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday this year, and its stores will then not reopen again until Monday, December 28.
The toy chain said it wants to give staff a three-day Christmas weekend so they can spend “quality time” with their families, according to Retail Gazette.
We’ve asked The Entertainer to confirm its hours for Christmas Eve and we’ll update this article when we know more.
The Sun is also checking if staff will get the time off as paid leave, or if they’ll need to take it off unpaid.
The Entertainer stores across England are currently shut due to the four-week lockdown.
Toy retailers haven’t been classed as “essential” businesses, so haven’t been allowed to stay open – although customers can order online for home delivery.
We’ve rounded up a list here for all the shops that can and can’t stay open until lockdown lifts in England.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different lockdown rules in place.
The Entertainer chief executive Gary Grant was quoted by Retail Gazette as saying: “Restrictions placed upon people over the last nine months have been incredibly testing.
“With the easing of restrictions for Christmas, we want to give our staff more opportunity to rest together with their families and loved ones for some quality time.”
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Primark, meanwhile, will open 11 stores for 24 hours on December 2.
Tesco will open 300 stores for 24 hours as Sainsbury’s also extends its opening hours in the run-up to Christmas.
Keep up to date with supermarket Christmas opening hours with our handy guide.