LATE-NIGHT shoppers in Duloch will have to find somewhere else to pick up their essentials after Tesco announced it's axing the 24-hour opening times.

The Dunfermline Extra store in Calais Farm Road Park will be closed to customers between midnight and 6am after the changes come into effect in March or April this year.

Tesco said the move to reduce hours means more staff 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.

It explained it was being responsive to the way customers want to shop in store, which meant making more efficient use of time and resources, making savings which can be passed on to customers.

Tony Hoggett, retail director, 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.”

The changes will take effect between March 14 and April 11. There will be no other change to the night operation in these shops, so the impact to workers is expected to be minimal.