SINGAPORE - Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice is keeping 138 stores open on the first day of Chinese New Year on Feb 16 for customers to do their grocery shopping for the festive period.

That is 90 per cent of its outlets and is the most number of stores FairPrice has ever opened on the first day of Chinese New Year, when most retailers take the day off.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, the bulk of its stores - 106 of them - will remain open until 5pm.

Twenty-four other stores will remain open for 24 hours, while seven stores will open from 7am till their regular closing hours, and it will be business as usual for the store at Changi Airport Terminal 3.

Aside from this, there will be extended hours at FairPrice stores in the lead up to Chinese New Year.

From Thursday (Feb 8), more than half of its stores will open for an additional hour. Its 61 24-hour stores will continue operating round the clock.

On the eve of Chinese New Year on Feb 14, 20 additional stores will open for 24 hours, for families who are preparing for annual reunion dinners.

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All 147 FairPrice stores will be open till at least 5pm on the eve.

Regular operating hours will resume on the third day of Chinese New Year on Feb 18.

Additionally, the supermarket chain's online shop will continue delivering between 10am and 6pm over the Chinese New Year period from Feb 15 to 18, but orders must be made before the stipulated cut-off timings available on the site.

Regular delivery timings will resume on Feb 19 for the online store.

FairPrice chief executive Seah Kian Peng said the move is for the convenience of customers.

"We want to ensure our customers have convenient access to groceries and festive goodies during this festive period," he said.

"Extending our operating hours will help to alleviate the expected high customer traffic within the stores while also catering to last-minute shopping. Beyond this, we serve the different ethnicities of residents, including people who do not celebrate Chinese New Year, by keeping the bulk of our stores open over the public holiday."

More details of each store’s opening hours are available on the FairPrice website.

Meanwhile, other supermarket chains like Cold Storage, Giant and Sheng Siong have also put up notices on their operating hours for CNY.