Open Sundays reiterates call for liberalisation of Sunday trading laws
The forthcoming Bank Holiday has prompted Mark Allatt, co-founder & director of Open Sundays, an alliance of retailers campaigning for the relaxation of current Sunday trading laws, to issue another call for the need for reform of the Sunday Trading Act 1994.
In a statement released today, Allatt said high street retailers would benefit from the liberalisation of Sunday trading and would be more able to compete with online retailing.
“Bank Holiday weekends are vital for retailers, with high streets and shopping centres seeing a surge in footfall,” he said. “But the shortened hours on a Monday and six hours on a Sunday prevents retailers from taking full advantage and gives the initiative to the online retail sector.
“British people do want more freedom to shop on a Sunday,” Allatt added, quoting figures from a national survey by ComRes, carried out for Open Sundays.
When asked to what extent people would support or oppose a permanent liberalisation of Sunday trading hours, the ComRes research showed that 64% of respondents were in favour of a reform. 18-24 year olds were the most supportive of full liberalisation, with 77% of respondents in this age group behind the change.
Allatt also commented on MP for Shipley Philip Davies’ proposed amendments to Sunday trading laws, stating that they would be a “welcome change to suit modern century shopping habits.”
He added: “Our high streets need to be able to better compete with online retailers that are able to sell 24/7 with no restrictions. Research from SAS & Verdict shows that almost 12% of retail spend last year was spent online, with online sales up 18% year on year in February 2014.”
Davies’ proposals include fully repealing the Sunday Trading Act 1994 and allowing large stores to open on Sunday. The MP also tabled the suspension of all Sunday trading restrictions during the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Rugby World Cup