Staff at Biddulph's Home Bargains store will be able to enjoy two extra days off this week, as the chain plans to close all 500 of its shops as a thank you to staff for their hard work over the past year.

The Home Bargains store in Biddulph as well as those around the rest of the country will close on Boxing day and New Year's Day, and their shops will also shut at an earlier time of 5pm on Christmas Eve, which falls on a Friday this year.

The Biddulph store is usually open from 8am - 7pm on Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm on Saturday and 10.30am - 4.30pm on Sunday.

The company says it wants to give staff more chance to enjoy time at home with their families because they have worked "incredibly hard".

A spokesperson said: "We recognise how incredibly hard all of our colleagues have worked over the last year, to continue to serve the local communities that rely on them so much.

"In light of this, we felt it was only right to reward store teams by taking the decision to close all of our stores on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and also close stores early at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

"As a family-run business we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever, and this is our way of saying thank you to all of our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication."