3<\/p>\n Tesco CEO Ken Murphy previously slammed the changes in the BudgetCredit: Reuters 3<\/p>\n It is unclear how many stores will be in the trialCredit: PA<\/p>\n Workers were told that a few of the Tesco <\/a>Express stores which don’t rake in as much cash will be the testing grounds.<\/p>\n These Tesco stores will shut an hour earlier, at 10pm instead of 11pm.<\/p>\n They will also have fewer staff working during these hours, The Telegraph<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n It is understood that the trial is only taking place in a “small number” of stores, but the exact number is unclear.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said the shake up is to ensure the shops are being run in the “most efficient way”.<\/p>\n The move comes after Tesco’s chief executive said that the supermarket is facing a wave of soaring costs<\/a> following the Chancellor’s tax raid in April.<\/p>\n Tesco said it was facing a rise in staffing costs, in part due to a \u00a3235m increase in National Insurance contributions and the rise in minimum wage.<\/p>\n The chain previously warned it would be axing \u00a3500million of costs to tackle this.<\/p>\n Retailers are believed to be facing around \u00a37billion in extra costs following the Budget.<\/p>\n A Tesco spokesperson said: “These changes aren\u2019t visible to our customers, who will continue to receive the same great service they expect, and there are no changes to the range of products we sell.”<\/p>\n The\u00a0basic wage<\/a>\u00a0for workers aged over 21 increased from \u00a311.44 to \u00a312.21 \u2014 instantly hiking staffing costs.<\/p>\n But most firms are more concerned about the dramatic changes to employers\u2019\u00a0National Insurance Contributions<\/a>, which will make hiring even tougher.<\/p>\n Companies have warned that the changes are to drastically impact part-time workers, soon to become 13 per cent more expensive overnight.<\/p>\n The contributions will go up from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent from April 6, but the main impact comes from lowering the threshold it starts being paid at from \u00a39,000 to \u00a35,000, roping in many more part-time staff.<\/p>\n One FTSE chief executive told The Sun that it was \u201ccompletely the wrong strategy for the Government to be pursuing if they want to encourage more people back into work with flexible jobs\u201d.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a slew of reports suggest companies are already cutting jobs<\/a>, freezing hiring and preparing to hike prices, with inflation predicted to hit 3.5 per cent later this year.<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2020-ben-stevens-parsons-media-901365039.jpg\")
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