Plenty of places will be open for business over the long Easter weekend - and some will have no choice but to turn shoppers away
Money Andrew Nuttall U35 Lifestyle Writer 03:00, 18 Apr 2025Updated 10:40, 18 Apr 2025
People will be keen to know how the Easter weekend will impact their chance to shop at some of their favourite stores across the UK. Staff at Home Bargains, Primark, Dunelm, and more will adjust their normal hours over the four-day weekend.
Easter, as always, falls on a Sunday, April 20 to be exact, but this does not count as one of the bank holidays over the four-day weekend. Good Friday and Easter Monday are the recognised UK bank holidays, as per the GOV.UK calendar.
Saturday, April 19, has no special significance in terms of Easter, so most will treat it as a normal day. Over the long weekend, many will take advantage of some time away from work to catch up and enjoy being with family and friends.
People may also want to shop in some of their favourite high-street retailers while they are away from the office. But will the bank holiday and Easter weekend have any major impact on these shops' opening and closing times?
We've had a look at some, but, as always, it may vary depending on where you live. So, it's best to check local websites or any notices in-store ahead of the Easter weekend.
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B&M has confirmed a complete shutdown of its stores on Easter Sunday. This applies to England and Wales only. Scottish stores will remain open as usual on April 20.
Home Bargains, The Range and Dunelm are amongst some of the other locations that will need to shut for business on Easter Sunday. The reason behind the closure isn't down to a goodwill gesture by bosses - it's the law.
According to the GOV.UK website, shops in England and Wales larger than 280 square metres in size have to shut on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. Shoppers can still get their goods over the weekend as most brands will be open on Friday, Saturday and Monday. It's best to check online, as hours for individual stores may vary.
You can check the B&M website here. If you need to find any amended hours for other brands, you can look here for Home Bargains, here for Dunelm, and here for The Range.
Primark stores will also be closed on Easter Sunday for the same reason, but shoppers can shop ahead of Easter Sunday. Most stores will be open as usual on Good Friday and Saturday whilst being reopened on the Easter Monday bank holiday.
You'll be able to get the most up-to-date information via the Primark website. Look up your nearest shop and check if the staff will be closing early or if the shop will be open at all.
The shop's sizing seems to be the only factor in deciding if the law applies - so specific chains will be open as usual on Easter Sunday such as Greggs. The popular chain of bakeries, famed for its sausage rolls, pasties and various sweet treats, will be open for most of the Easter weekend - so fans don't have to miss out on their baked goods fix over the long weekend.
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Easter Sunday will force certain larger branches to close their doors for the day but smaller ones will not have to follow this rule. The best way to find out if your local Greggs is open on Easter Sunday is to check the online Shop Finder which has the most up-to-date information.
To locate the nearby branches, all it needs is your postcode. Alternatively, you could ask the staff next time you pop into Greggs if they will be serving up goods on Easter Sunday.
