With Black Friday 2027 on the horizon, MARK ALLATT argues that scrapping Sunday trading limits for a single day would hand struggling town centres a fighting chance – and help them beat the online giants at their own game
Every year the same absurd pantomime plays out. Black Friday arrives, the nation sets off in search of a bargain, and on the following Sunday our big shops are told to start packing up at the stroke of six – while the online giants carry on trading round the clock.
It is a handicap no other business would tolerate. And it is time we ended it.
That is why our campaign group, Open Sundays, is calling for a Super Sunday on Sunday 28 November 2027: one day, in the very middle of Black Friday weekend, when every shop in England and Wales is free to open for as long as it likes. Black Friday itself falls two days earlier, on 26 November. Britain's physical retailers deserve their own moment in the sun.
A rule from another age
Under the Sunday Trading Act 1994, any shop bigger than 280 square metres can open for just six consecutive hours, somewhere between 10am and 6pm. Corner shops can open all day. Scotland has managed without these limits for decades – and the sky has yet to fall in.
In other words, a family heading out for a proper day of Christmas shopping can find the doors closing on them just as the fun begins. Is it any wonder so many give up and tap 'buy now' from the sofa instead?
Lift the rules for one high-profile Sunday and everything changes. Families, last-minute gift buyers and bargain hunters could finally make a day of it, rather than rushing round in a panic or defaulting to a website.
The evidence is staring us in the face
The numbers speak for themselves. Scotland consistently enjoys stronger town-centre footfall than comparable English areas, with analyses suggesting an advantage of 15–20 per cent linked to more flexible trading.
When the rules were temporarily suspended during the 2012 Olympics, sales rose by 3.2 per cent over the relevant months. Shoppers, it turns out, like choice. Who knew?
And it is not just the big names that win. When a major store draws the crowds, the little independents next door share the spoils. Retail studies indicate that being near a large store can lift a small firm's Sunday takings by up to 30 per cent, as shoppers pop in for the weekly shop and stay to browse the boutiques, markets and specialist stalls. In trial areas, longer hours have been linked to uplifts of around 25 per cent for smaller outlets, as customers feel less hurried and spend more.
Good news for the local pub, too
Then there is hospitality. Busy streets mean full car parks, and full car parks mean packed pubs, cafés and restaurants well into the evening. Local analyses have recorded Sunday revenue jumps of up to 40 per cent for venues near big retail anchors.
It is a win all round. The big stores bring the footfall, the independents and the eateries turn it into cash, and our town centres avoid the dreary early shutdown that leaves them deserted while the online competition keeps on selling. Putting Super Sunday on Black Friday weekend simply makes the most of the crowds who are already out and about.
Let local leaders lead
Super Sunday would also be a sensible, low-risk trial for handing Sunday trading powers to mayors and councils. A market town, a city centre and an out-of-town retail park have very different needs; a one-size-fits-all rule dreamt up in Westminster suits none of them.
Let local leaders weigh up demand, talk to businesses and staff, and decide what works for their patch. We would get real-world evidence before any wider change. And Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a former Mayor of Greater Manchester, knows better than most how local flexibility can drive growth while respecting community wishes.
Protecting shop workers
Let me be clear: nobody should be forced to work longer than they want to. Existing opt-out rights for shop staff must stay firmly in place, and extended hours should be voluntary for employers and employees alike. Plenty of retailers will choose to stay shut, and that is their right. The whole point is choice.
After all, online deliveries already land on doorsteps at every hour of a Sunday. Why should the shops on our high streets be the only ones forced to play with one hand tied behind their backs?
Time to act
The window is short and the festive calendar already has its online peaks. The high street deserves one of its own.
I urge the Prime Minister to announce Super Sunday well in advance. With one simple, practical step, the Government can give bricks-and-mortar retailers a timely boost, back independent firms and hospitality, and gather the evidence for smarter, more local rules.
It is time to let Britain's shops fight back.
Mark Allatt is Director of Open Sundays, a campaign group calling for the liberalisation of Sunday trading
laws. opensundays.uk