Tesco is set to close some stores earlier as it trials new opening hours.

The supermarket giant is reportedly looking to trial earlier closing times in different stores across the UK.

It comes after the company was hit by a large rise in staff costs.

Tesco said the change is to ensure these shops are running "in the most efficient way".

A Tesco spokesperson told Newsquest said: "Our Express format is a strong and growing business, providing great value and convenience for customers on their doorstep.

"In a small number of stores, we are trialling some tweaks to our operational routines to make things simpler for our colleagues and to ensure that we are running these shops in the most efficient way.

"These changes aren't 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."

The Express stores will remain branded the same way and there will be no redundancies.

The Telegraph reports that the chosen Tesco Express stores will be shutting an hour earlier, at 10pm rather than 11pm.

It is not confirmed which stores will be affected, however, the Telegraph claims workers have been told the trial is taking place in some of Tesco's "less profitable stores".

It is also understood that Tesco will be speaking to colleagues ahead of any changes to roles, including possible transfers.

The change to opening hours comes after Tesco's chief executive, Ken Murphy, said that the supermarket needed to offset a number of extra costs following the Spring budget.

In April, Tesco said it was facing a large rise in its staffing bill, which included an increase of £235m in National Insurance contributions in the latest financial year.

The trialling of new hours is not the only change at Tesco stores in the UK.

Tesco has become the latest supermarket to roll out new "VAR-style" checkouts in some of its stores.

The new self-service checkout systems feature a camera that records customers scanning and packing their shopping.

Earlier this month, Sainsbury's also rolled out its own "VAR-style" checkouts.

Tesco shoppers have also recently discovered a major change to bakery sections across stores in the UK.

Customers have spotted notices being put up in bakeries stating that from 7pm, loose bakery products will be slashed to half price.

It's been reported that this used to take place at 5pm, but it's been moved back by two hours, according to The Sun.

The supermarket giant, which makes reductions to bakery items every day to help reduce food waste, confirmed to Newsquest that pastries and sweet treats are usually discounted at around 7pm, however, timings can vary by store.

The supermarket giant has been trialling replacing traditional barcodes on 12 of its own-branded fresh produce and meat items at some of its stores across the UK.

If successful, the move would see Tesco replace hundreds of product barcodes with QR code technology in its latest digital modernisation.

The new scanning feature would provide shoppers with important nutritional information about the product they are buying.