Overview
- The City of Berlin confirmed that retailers may open on Sunday 6 December and Sunday 20 December under special permits.
- Many shopping centres plan afternoon openings, commonly from 13:00 to 18:00, with some stores choosing to stay open until about 20:00.
- The openings rely on the Berliner Senat’s long-standing rule that allows up to eight event-linked shopping Sundays per year rather than a permanent change to trading law.
- Officials cited the second Advent and Nikolaus on 6 December and the fourth Advent plus the Louis Lewandowski festival on 20 December as the event reasons for the permits.
- The extra Sundays are aimed at giving shoppers more time for last-minute gift buying and at helping retailers capture holiday sales during the seasonal peak.