BOSSES have confirmed that 24-hour opening times at a Galashiels supermarket are to be axed.

The Tesco Extra branch, on Paton Street, is to introduce new opening hours between 6am and midnight later this year.

The changes by the supermarket giant are part of plans to simplify how their stores are operated, and provide a better shopping experience for customers.

The Galashiels branch is one of eight stores across the country to reduce their trading hours in the latest announcement by Tesco.

The retailer is focusing on moving from night-to-day replenishment in 69 stores, and looking at bringing together different service desks to enable customers to get everything they need in one place.

Staff at Tesco in Galashiels were informed of the changes earlier this week.

Border Telegraph:

A spokesman from Tesco told the Border Telegraph: "Across the UK we’re making some changes in a number of our stores, including the Galashiels store, to help us run them more simply and deliver the best possible service.

"We want our stores to be at their best when they’re at their busiest, with more colleagues in store during the day, helping customers."

The announcement brings an end to 24-hour shopping at the Gala branch of Tesco after nearly 10 years.

The spokesman added that there would be no compulsory job losses, and said staff affected by the changes will be supported to find alternative roles, either within the store during the day, or within another local store, if they wanted to do so.