Open Sundays responds to proposed changes to Sunday trading laws

In light of mounting pressure to liberalise Sunday trading laws, Mark Allatt, co-founder and director of Open Sundays, has commented on the need for a reform in the Sunday Trading Act 1994 and his views on Philip Davies’ recently proposed amendments to Sunday trading laws.

Open Sundays is a broad alliance of retailers campaigning for the relaxation of current Sunday trading laws. Mark explained how high street retailers can benefit from a reform and compete with online shopping, whilst providing some interesting research stats on public attitudes towards a reform.

Mark Allatt commented: “Philip Davies’ recently proposed amendments to Sunday trading laws would be a welcome change to suit modern century shopping habits. 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.

“British people do want more freedom to shop on a Sunday – according to a national survey by ComRes for Open Sundays, when asked to what extent the British people would support or oppose a permanent liberalisation of Sunday trading hours, 64% of respondents were in favour of a reform. 18-24-year-olds are the most supportive of full liberalisation, with 77% of respondents in this age group behind the reform.

“Bank Holiday weekends are vital for retailers, with high streets and shopping centres seeing a surge in footfall. 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.”

We asked toy retailers what they thought of the proposed changes. Ginette McGee, owner of Toytown Seaford, commented: “We would happily support relaxation of the laws on Sunday and bank holiday trading hours. Our rent and rates have to be paid 365 days a year and this is the biggest overhead difference between a high street shop and an online retailer. To be able to maximise the hours that customers can shop with us would reduce the impact of this overhead.

“We are in a small coastal town, but even our charity shops all open on a Sunday, so there would seem to be an appetite for trade here.

“I understand that some people feel that opening longer on these days can diminish family time together, but shopping in a toy shop can be a quality shared family experience.“