Open Sundays Urges Government to Liberalise Sunday Trading Following Disappointing Retail Results
London, UK – 29 January 2026 – Open Sundays, the group campaigning for the liberalisation of the Sunday trading laws, today commented on the underwhelming retail trading performance during Christmas 2025. Drawing on reports from Knight Frank and BDO, alongside individual retailer statements, the figures reveal a mixed but largely lacklustre festive period. This underscores the urgent need for policy reform to invigorate high streets. In response, Open Sundays is calling for for the liberalisation of Sunday trading laws in England & Wales and has announced the launch of a national petition (https://www.change.org/OpenSundays) to drive this change.
Research from BDO's High Street Sales Tracker highlights a dismal December, with total like-for-like retail sales dropping by 1.4 per cent year-on-year. This marks the worst monthly performance since November 2024, with in-store sales declining by 0.5 per cent and online by 0.6 per cent. The crucial 'Golden Quarter' – encompassing October to December – saw sales volumes significantly down compared to the previous year. Sophie Michael, Head of Retail and Wholesale at BDO, noted that retailers had hoped for a strong finish to 2025 but instead faced a persistent downward trend. Persistent food inflation and high living costs prompted consumers to prioritise festive food and experiences over discretionary purchases, such as fashion and homeware.
Knight Frank's analysis echoes this sentiment, describing Christmas 2025 as 'drab' based on British Retail Consortium data showing total retail sales growth of just 1.2 per cent in December – well below the 12-month average of 2.3 per cent. Non-food sales fell by 0.5 per cent, with neither in-store nor online channels achieving positive growth. This performance came against a challenging comparison of 3.2 per cent growth in December 2024. While grocery sectors showed resilience, with overall food sales up 3.1 per cent, the broader retail landscape struggled amid cautious consumer spending.
Individual trading statements provide further insight into this uneven picture. Tesco reported UK like-for-like sales growth of 3.7 per cent over the 19 weeks including Christmas, achieving its highest market share in over a decade. Sainsbury's grocery sales rose by 5.4 per cent, while discounters Lidl and Aldi claimed record performances with increases of 10 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Next defied the gloom, posting a 10.6 per cent rise in full-price sales in the nine weeks to 27 December, including 5.9 per cent growth in the UK. Morrisons saw like-for-like sales up 3.4 per cent in the six weeks to 4 January. However, not all fared well: Marks & Spencer noted declines in non-food, and Argos reported a 1 per cent sales drop. The hospitality sector provided a brighter spot, with UK pubs recording 5.1 per cent like-for-like sales growth in December, driven by festive celebrations.
These results illustrate a retail sector grappling with economic pressures, including lingering cost-of-living challenges and weaker footfall. Open Sundays believes that liberalising Sunday trading restrictions – currently limiting large stores to six consecutive hours from 10:00hrs to 18:00hrs – could provide a vital boost. Evidence from deregulated regions like Scotland shows increased footfall and spillover benefits for smaller businesses and hospitality. Liberalisation would allow retailers to extend hours, attract more shoppers, support pubs and stimulate economic activity.
"Christmas 2025 should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers," said Mark Allatt, co-founder of Open Sundays. "While some sectors held firm, the overall weak performance needs to be remedied with new supply side measures which promote growth. The liberalisation Sunday trading in England and Wales would unlock extended consumer outings, benefiting the retail and hospitality sectors as well as the wider economy."
To mobilise support, Open Sundays has today launched a national petition on change.org (https://www.change.org/OpenSundays) urging the Government to liberalise Sunday trading in England & Wales. The petition aims to gather widespread backing from retailers, consumers, and the hospitality sector, emphasising the potential for job creation, increased revenues, and vibrant weekends.
