Leading grocery chain Tesco has today announced extended opening hours for its stores during the Olympic Games.

Stores in England and Wales will stay open for a longer period during the sports event with its branch of Extra stores open for a full 24 hours.

Its superstores and metro shops will be open beyond the usual shopping times to serve a host of customers visiting the store late to pick up groceries in the hopes of avoiding crowds.

A spokesperson from Tesco told Retail Gazette said that it is responding to demands from its customer for a more flexible service.

“We‘ve listened to what our customers and our staff have told us about Sunday opening hours during the Games,” the spokesman commented.

“They would like to see more flexibility, so we plan to open our stores across England and Wales for longer.

“Our Extra stores will be open for 24 hours, and Superstores and selected Metros will open for extended hours.”

It is hoped that this extension of service will boost sales for the supermarket giant, which earlier this month announced a 1.4 per cent drop in trading on a like-for-like basis over its first financial quarter.

The inevitable influx of tourists to the UK during the sporting event presents an opportunity, the spokesman added.

“We want to strike the right balance between making sure our staff can enjoy the events, and giving our customers the convenience of shopping before or after the sporting action, as they can for the rest of the week,” he said.