Euro 2024: Full list of supermarkets, restaurants and other shops changing opening times for the England vs Spain final - as Wireless Festival moves forward finishing time and music fans scramble to sell tickets for gigs so they can tune in
- Euro 2024 final - England v Spain - Olympiastadion Berlin - Sunday, 8pm UK time
Supermarkets will close early or open late, festivals changed line-up times and music fans flogged tickets to gigs on the cheap as Euro 2024 fever gripped England today.
Tesco is to shut all its 1,800 Express stores in England at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10pm or 11pm on Sunday to allow staff to watch the final, which kicks off at 8pm.
Sainsbury's has followed suit with similar plans for Sunday while Lidl said its stores would open one hour later on Monday so employees can celebrate if England win.
England face Spain on Sunday for a chance to become the first England men's team to win a major tournament since the 1966 World Cup and the first on foreign soil.
Wireless Festival has brought forward stage times with headline Doja Cat's set now scheduled to finish at 7pm, but this did not stop fans trying to sell on their tickets.
The cheapest price this morning on fan-to-fan resale website Twickets for the event at Finsbury Park in North London was £46 per ticket, 50 per cent below face value.
The decision to end it early infuriated some fans, with one calling organisers 'crazy' and another saying it was a 'rip off' because they were already paying for a full day.
Other events in London on Sunday include Corinne Bailey Rae at Somerset House, on resale for £22.40 (46% below face value), Richard Ashcroft at Kew for £28.75 (54% below) and Greta Van Fleet at the Royal Albert Hall for £51.30 (30% below).
A Sainsbury's supermarket in Wimbledon, South West London, with England flags for the Euros
Lidl, which is one of the sponsors of Euro 2024, will open its stores one hour late on Monday. Pictured: England's Jude Bellingham in front of a Lidl advert in the Slovakia match on June 30
A Tesco supermarket in Wimbledon is decorated with the flags of the 24 nations at the Euros
Tickets for Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Festival at Chiswick House in London are on for £17.10 (57% below), and JLS at The Quarry in Shrewsbury is £22.80 (58% below).
Those wanting to attend the 2024 Betfred World Matchplay darts at Blackpool's Winter Gardens can do so for £34.20, 25 per cent below face value – even though PDC organisers have already moved the afternoon and evening sessions so they do not clash with the football.
Richard Davies, founder of Twickets, said: 'The Euros final has definitely influenced an increase in tickets listed on our app, as music fans who also love football reconsider their plans this Sunday.
'So it's good news for anyone who's happy to miss out on football, as we have tickets listed at face value or less available for all the big festivals this weekend, plus some great gigs.'
Meanwhile the majority of the Ivy chain's restaurants will close at 7pm on Sunday, along with all of the Bill's branches so that staff can watch the final.
And comedian John Bishop told fans in a video that he had moved his gig on Sunday night in Wolverhampton to the afternoon so he can watch the match.
England secured a showdown against Spain thanks to Ollie Watkins ' stunning last-minute strike against the Netherlands on Wednesday night, sealing a 2-1 win.
This is the first time an England men's team have made it to an overseas final and it is a second successive continental final for the Euro 2020 runners-up.
The biggest public screening is set to be at The O2, where up to 15,000 fans will be able to cheer on England in an event organised by London Mayor Sadiq Khan .
Wireless Festival has brought forward set times with headliner Doja Cat now finishing at 7pm
Other fan parks, pubs and bars across the country will also be broadcasting the game as hospitality businesses aim to cash in on the excitement. Some fans have even called for a bank holiday if England win the Euros for the first time.
Pubs and restaurants are both set for a weekend bonanza - with some fans also hoping to watch the Wimbledon men's singles final at 2pm, before the football.
The events will provide a much-needed boost to the hospitality and retail sector after wet weather meant a subdued start to summer trading.
Items from beer, wine and snacks, barbecue food and pizzas to large screen TVs and England shirts, are being snapped up ahead of the major sporting weekend.
Tesco said its more than 1,800 Express stores will close at 7.30pm instead of the usual 10pm or 11pm to allow employees to watch the final.
The supermarket said the move would allow thousands of colleagues to get home or to the pub in time for kick-off, while still receiving their normal pay for those hours.
England fans at Peckham Arches in London react after Harry Kane scores on Wednesday night
Those employees who do not want to watch the match will be also paid as normal.
Because the match falls on a Sunday, the retailer's larger stores in England will already be closed by the time the match kicks off at 8pm. All stores will then reopen as normal on Monday morning, with the majority from 6am or 7am.
Jason Binks, store ordering manager at Tesco, said: 'Based on our learnings from England reaching the final last time round (in 2021), and also from increasing demand through this tournament, we have a well-rehearsed supply plan in place to make sure all our stores are stocked for the extra demand.'
Tesco reassured customers that stores would still be open as normal during the daytime on Sunday, so they can stock up on any essential pre-match supplies.
England fans celebrate at Boxpark Wembley in North West London on Wednesday evening
All online orders already placed for Sunday evening will be honoured and delivered as normal. Stores in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will continue to remain open in line with their usual hours.
Tesco's managing director of UK stores, Kevin Tindall, said: 'We will close our stores across England in time for them (staff) to get behind Gareth Southgate and the team, and we'll all be hoping that football will be coming home.'
Meanwhile Lidl will open its stores an hour later than usual on Monday, regardless of the match outcome, to allow staff to enjoy any post-match celebrations.
Lidl GB chief executive Ryan McDonnell said: 'We know how much this game means to England fans, and we want to ensure that our colleagues have the chance to celebrate such a significant moment in English football history.
'We couldn't achieve our goals without our colleagues, so in recognition of their hard work and dedication, this move will allow them to join in the excitement and show support for the England team, and we wish them the best of luck for the big game.'
England celebrate in the semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday
Normal hours will resume on Tuesday, and Lidl urged shoppers to check their nearest store's opening times on it website due to these varying from store to store.
Sainsbury's forecast weekend beer sales would increase 200 per cent year-on-year, with sales of sparkling wine and ready-to-drink cocktail cans both up 30 per cent.
And it said in a tweet yesterday: 'It's coming home and so are we... To allow our colleagues time to enjoy the game, Locals and petrol stations across England will be closing early at 7:30pm on Sunday 14th July. Come on England!'
Asda has sold over 20,000 large screen ultra-high-definition TVs during Euro 2024, with more sales expected ahead of Sunday.
Iceland said sales of beer are expected to increase 250 per cent in the 72 hours before the final, while pizza and curry will go up 150 per cent.
England fans celebrate in the stands in Dortmund on Wednesday as the team win the semi-final
Richard Walker, its executive chairman, said: 'Our stores are stocked and our delivery drivers are ready to bring your shopping home between now and Sunday.'
Data from Adobe forecast England fans' spending on team merchandise will have spiked by as much as 1,500 per cent above normal levels the day after the semi-final.
British pubs and bars are set for a £120 million sales boost from the final, trade body UKHospitality said.
Young & Co Brewery said its pubs were 'nearly' fully booked but it still had the option for walk-ins and London-based Fullers had seen a jump in advance bookings.
Domino's Pizza said the group was stocking up on its cheese & tomato and pepperoni pizzas and will be offering a 50 per cent discount on web and app orders from Friday through to Sunday.
England fans chant and sing as they gather at Stevenson Square in Manchester on Wednesday
JD Sports' website was yesterday sold out of England's away shirt, while only small, medium and XXL sizes of the home shirt - worn in every game of the tournament so far - were available.
The chain said its England merchandise sales jumped over six-fold for the semi-final, having already risen by almost three times around last Saturday's quarter final victory on penalties against Switzerland.
Nike's online store had run out of home shirts in large size while away shirts were sold out in large, XL and XXL, although Sports Direct had better levels of stock.
West Wycombe School was among those offering children a 'soft start' on Monday morning 'so that they could stay up a bit later on Sunday to see the big match'.
The match is unlikely to finish much before 10pm, and could be nearer to 11pm if England are taken to penalties again. And the school said children could arrive anytime from 8.30am to 10.30am on Monday morning to avoid them being too tired.
Jubilant England fans celebrate at Boxpark in Croydon, South London, on Wednesday evening
Surveys published on Tuesday showed British consumer spending contracted in June, with wet weather hitting sales of key seasonal items.
However, the consumer outlook is improving, with lower UK inflation, rising real living standards and the hope of a period of political stability with a new Labour government.
But business at retailers based on high streets, shopping centres and retail parks could be slower on Sunday afternoon as people stay at home to watch the sport.
An estimated three million workers have booked annual leave or will call in sick on Monday, according to figures from BrightHR.
Some 1.5million workers are set to have a day's holiday on Monday, with annual leave requests already up 121 per cent on average and expected to rise significantly in the coming hours, the firm said. Another 1.5million staff are set to call in sick.
Hundreds of thousands more are expected to be late, with 10million set to work from home. BrightHR, which monitors attendance across 50,000 UK companies, said sickness absence soared by 232 per cent the day after England's Euro 2020 final.
Alan Price, chief executive at the firm, told MailOnline: 'Monday is set to be a day of major disruption for businesses as England faces Spain in the historic Euros final on Sunday.
'Expect a tsunami of sick calls, annual leave requests, and lateness as fans recover from a night of celebration.'
