The retailer is the latest chain to announce festive closures and joins: Sainsbury's, Argos, Habitat, Aldi, Morrisons, Waitrose, Home Bargains, Pets at Home and Marks & Spencer.

John Gorle, Usdaw National Officer says: “Following discussions with the company, we very much welcome Central England Co-operative's decision to close their stores on Boxing Day.

“Usdaw has been campaigning on this issue for a number of years and we are delighted that this year, so many retailers are closing their stores on Boxing Day to give their staff a longer  break over the festive period. We now hope that other retailers will follow suit by closing their stores on 26 December to help workers enjoy their Christmas, give them a well-deserved breather and make Boxing Day special again.” 

Note to Editors

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.

For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion