SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has announced that the opening hours will be reduced at their Haverfordwest store.

Tesco Extra, Haverfordwest is currently the only 24 hour supermarket in Pembrokeshire and is one of five Welsh supermarkets to have their opening hours slashed.

The changes will come in between March 14 and April 11.

A Tesco Plc spokesman said: “Affected stores, which had previously been open 24 hours, will close their doors to customers between midnight and 6am.

“The move to reduce hours means more Tesco colleague time will be freed up to replenish products on the shelves overnight, which will mean better availability of products and better looking stores when they open their doors to customers each morning.

Tony Hoggett, Retail Director for Tesco said: “We’re always thinking about how to serve our customers better in each of our stores and with the growth of online grocery shopping, these stores saw very few customers during the night.

“It makes much more sense for colleagues at those stores to focus on replenishing the shelves instead and making sure they’re fully stocked when they open their doors at 6am.

“We’ll continue to make changes in store in ways that will make shopping at Tesco a better experience for our customers, at the times they want to shop.”

There will be no other change to the night operation in these shops, so the impact to colleagues is expected to be minimal.

Local Assembly Member Paul Davies said: “This latest announcement from Tesco is certainly disappointing news for people in Pembrokeshire, given that Tesco Extra is the only 24 hour supermarket in the county. For those who work long shifts or through the evenings, Tesco offered an important and convenient service.

“Whilst I appreciate that the growth of online business has impacted the more traditional methods of shopping, this announcement will have a serious effect on the current staff and I hope that Tesco provides a range of options for those staff directly affected by this news.”