It’s not every teenager that would read the entire Bible in one night for a crush.
And yet Adam Brody’s Gilmore Girls character Dave Rygalski did just that—and more—to prove to the mother of his...
A MAJOR DIY and garden retailer has become the latest in a string of chains confirming it will close all stores on Boxing Day.
B&Q has revealed it will shutter its more than 300 UK branches on December 25 and 26 to give staff a well-earned break.
The retailer, which stocks everything from garden products to kitchenware, tools and equipment will also close all its stores early on Christmas Eve.
Branches across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will shut at 4pm instead of the usual 8pm.
The vast majority of the DIY chain’s stores will also be operating reduced opening hours on New Year’s Day.
Its stores in Scotland and on the islands of Jersey and Guernsey meanwhile will be closed to customers on January 1.
Shoppers should use B&Q’s store locator tool to find out when their local branch is closing over Christmas to avoid a wasted trip.
You can do this by using the retailer’s “Find a Store” tool on its website.
B&Q is the latest retailer to announce it will be closing for two days over Christmas to give staff time off.
Home Bargains was the first to announce it would shut all stores on Boxing Day.
Supermarket giant Aldi, The Range and Wilko, plus John Lewis, Waitrose and Homebase have all said they will shut on December 25 and 26 too.
It’s worth bearing in mind, almost all stores close on Christmas Day every year, but a handful of retailers usually shut the following day.
Last year, dozens of chains across the country made the decision to adjust their opening hours to give their workers a well-earned break on December 26.
Aldi, Iceland, John Lewis, and Poundland all pulled down their shutters on Boxing Day.
While other opted to operate with reduced hours instead, including Sainsbury’s, Primark, Morrisons and Tesco.
We will keep you updated on the major chains’ plans for this year as they’re announced.
In any case, most retailers will have store opening hours on their website.
It comes after Kingfisher, which owns B&Q, said in March it would be expanding its B&Q Local format across UK high streets.
B&Q opened nine of these new stores in the UK last year and said it had plans to open more.
BOXING Day is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
So why do retailers decide to close? Senior Consumer Reporter Olivia Marshall explains.
Closing on Boxing Day allows staff to have a well-deserved break after the busy Christmas period.
This can help improve staff morale and reduce burnout.
It also provides them with an opportunity to spend time with their families and friends during the festive season.
For some retailers, the cost of opening on Boxing Day, including staffing and operational expenses, may not be justified by the expected sales revenue, especially if customer footfall is low.
With the rise of online shopping, some retailers may focus on online sales and promotions rather than opening physical stores on Boxing Day.
For some businesses, it may also be a a long-standing tradition for them to remain closed on Boxing Day.
From a practical perspective, the day after Christmas can be used for inventory checks, restocking, and preparing for post-Christmas sales.
This can be more effectively done without the distraction of serving customers.
CONOR MCGREGOR has enjoyed a kickabout with Declan Rice – while seemingly oblivious to their Irish connection.
The UFC star joined Rice and Bukayo Saka on the Emirates pitch after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
McGregor was in attendance at the Champions League game and made his way onto to the field after full-time.
The Irishman was joined by Three Lions star Saka, who got more than he bargained for as the MMA ace began kickboxing with him in the centre circle.
The Notorious later showed off his keepy-uppy skills as he knocked the ball around with Rice.
In viral footage, a voice off-camera can be heard saying: “Declan used to play for Ireland.”
Rice, 25, began his international career playing for Ireland, winning 3 caps in 2018.
He switched back to England a year later and recently refused to celebrate after scoring against the Irish in September.
Addressing Rice, McGregor fired back in the clip: “Who did? You did?”
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Rice confirmed he had before Conor added: “The Irish national team? Deadly.”
One fan laughed in response: “Talking to them like he hasn’t got a clue who they really are.”
And another joked: “Conor’s first touch is better than Bellingham.”
According to The Irish Mirror, McGregor was not an official guest at the Emirates on Tuesday.
He reportedly acquired a ticket through a third-party source, before leaving his seat and breezing onto the pitch at full-time.
After several minutes on the turf, security reportedly told him to get off the field.
Saka and Kai Havertz were on the scoresheet as the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners against the French champions.
KAI HAVERTZ and Bukayo Saka sent Arsenal to a deserved victory borne of first-half dominance.
Paris Saint-Germain did hit the bar and the post as they improved after the break in this Champions League tie.
But Emirates chief Mikel Arteta will mostly be delighted with his side’s latest solid display in Europe’s top club competition.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated the Gunners at the Emirates on Tuesday.
DAVID RAYA – 7
Was perhaps busier than he usually is at home.
Helplessly watched a Nuno Mendes effort smack his far post and stood firm to deny Achraf Hakimi at his near post.
RICCARDO CALAFIORI – 6
A frantic display, one that had more shaky moments than good. Kept busy by Hakimi and was done for pace on a few occasions but recovered well.
A mistake early in the second half almost gave PSG a way back into the game. Needs to iron out these errors from his game, particularly when he is so dangerous in attack.
However, he was playing at right-back for the first time in his career after the break.
WILLIAM SALIBA – 7
Did not have much to do. A stray pass early on could have been costly but other than that another reliable and strong performance.
GABRIEL – 7
Sprayed some nice passes about from deep but this was a stress-free night’s work compared to the Premier League.
JURRIEN TIMBER – 8
Just how on earth does Ben White get back in this side at right back? Another immaculate display from a man who seemingly has it all in defence and attack.
Well, White may well get his chance after Timber was subbed off at half-time.
DECLAN RICE – 7
Solid as a rock and building a real partnership with Partey in midfield. Had a chance to drive forward just before the half hour mark but his pass to Saka was cut out.
THOMAS PARTEY – 8
So consistent at the moment, something Arsenal fans have not seen from the Ghanaian midfielder in a long time owing mostly to injury.
Made some crucial interceptions and showed real composure playing out from deep.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 8
One of Arsenal’s most important players right now. Since his red card at Man City, he has notched a goal and an assist – the latter here for Havertz to open the scoring with a perfectly-timed cross.
BUKAYO SAKA – 7
After an early shot over the bar from a trademark cut inside, the England international had a slight drop off in influence before his scuffed free-kick flew in untouched from out wide.
Still, he gave Mendes a torrid time at left-back. Even PSG manager Luis Enrique watched on at times in awe inside his technical area.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 7
A quiet night for the Brazilian following his first goal since March against Leicester, which may have been down to a big collision with Gianluigi Donnarumma in the first few minutes.
Should have made it 3-0 with a volley inside the box after the break but it was straight at Donnarumma. Unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.
KAI HAVERTZ – 9
Brave and brilliant to head in from Trossard’s teasing cross, despite the onrushing lump that is Donnarumma trying to take his head off.
Almost had an assist too with a cute lay-up for Martinelli in the box. The striker-midfield debate should be over – Havertz is a top-class centre forward.
SUBS:
JAKUB KIWIOR (TIMBER, 45) – 7
Did what was expected of him at left-back. Produced a good recovery tackle on Kang-in Lee in the box.
MIKEL MERINO (PARTEY, 64) – 7
Finally, a debut for the Spaniard. Some neat touches under pressure, slotting in seamlessly next to Rice.
GABRIEL JESUS (TROSSARD, 74) – 6
Looked desperate to impress having struggled for starts so far and that looks to be working against him – things just aren’t clicking.
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY (SAKA, 92) – N/A
The 23-year-old joined CBS after the game to discuss Arsenal’s chances of silverware this season.
And Saka set his teammates the goal of ending their two-decade-long Premier League drought.
CBS pundit Thierry Henry, who was a star man in Arsenal‘s last title-winning team in 2003-04, asked Saka: “Do you think it is important this year to win the title?”
The England star nodded before answering: “I don’t want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year.
“I think we’ve been close the last two years and we’re getting closer, but this hopefully will be the year.”
NEWCASTLE UNITED will wait until “early 2025” before announcing whether they will redevelop St. James’ Park or build a brand new stadium.
As we revealed this week, plans drawn up to rebuild their current home showed that it could cost up to a billion quid.
And a new stadium built from scratch in a different location could cost DOUBLE that price.
Members of the club’s Fan Advisory Board have now been talked through initial findings of the feasibility study into the different options.
However, due to more investigations into what the best affordability and sustainability is, the Toon Army will have to wait to see what the next move is.
Newcastle’s chief operating officer, Brad Miller, said: “This is an exciting but extremely complex project, and I’d like to thank supporters for their patience as we conduct this key phase of the feasibility process.
“We aren’t quite at a decision-making stage yet, but we are targeting the early part of 2025 to complete the next essential tasks.
“We know what a transformed St. James’ Park would give us and we now have a significant amount of data and feedback on our stadium footprint and surrounding area, so we are several steps forward.
“But it is also clear that this option has several risks associated with it, so we need to fully analyse those risks against the opportunities to reach truly informed and intelligent outcomes.
“We are challenging our appointed design team, and ourselves, to make sure our eventual chosen route delivers a fantastic fan experience – one that represents the fans, city, region and club, and aligns with the long-term ambitions of our ownership group.
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
“But it must provide an investable return, and not least deliver strong revenue growth to increase our PSR headroom, which, as everyone knows, means we can invest more in football.
“Part of the process is also to understand alternative options so that we see the bigger picture and, again, find the right balance between risk and opportunity.
“This is a once-in-a-generation investment, so we don’t want to look back in years to come, as a club or as a city, and regret an opportunity missed.
“Our objective is to select a scheme that is deliverable, affordable, and sustainable, so we are investing this time to make sure we are only going to spend money on the project where it will make the biggest difference – to fan experience, revenue, competitiveness, investment in football and operational efficiency. All this requires a robust process that leaves no stone unturned.”
Miller added: “We are very grateful to the members of FAB for taking on board some of the detail behind our reasoning, and we look forward to their continued input as we move this historic project forward in the near future.”