Tesco axing 24-hour opening at Welshpool - but Shrewsbury and Telford to stay open around the clock

However, its superstores in Shrewsbury and Telford, which are also currently open around the clock, are to remain open through the night under the newly-announced plans.

The move will see the Welshpool store close its doors at midnight and reopen at 6am, the supermarket giant said.

Staff will be largely unaffected by the move, it added, because the other night-time operations such as deliveries and shelf-stacking will continue as normal.

The move, Tesco said, is aimed at "improving the shopping experience for customers", and will affect 76 branches around the country.

At present, 400 stores around the UK open for 24 hours a day, a practice which was first introduced in 1996.

Closing to customers will, in theory, allow staff more time to replenish stock on the shelves, meaning more products are available and the stores are tidier when they reopen in the morning.

Other branches near to Shropshire which will be affected include one in Hereford, Cefn Mawr near Chirk, Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, and at Brownhills near Walsall.

Stores in Ellesmere, Ludlow, Whitchurch and Bridgnorth were already closed overnight.

Tesco's retail director Tony Hoggett 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 come into effect between March 14 and April 11, the company added.

Tesco also said the move was "a better use of time and resources", and would allow it to make savings it could pass on to customers –a key consideration for the country's biggest grocer as it continues to battle for market share amid a fierce supermarket price war.