Overview

• The government said it “does not intend to make changes” to the 1994 rules that cap large stores to six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.
• Open Sundays, a coalition of retailers and supporters, is urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to back a Sunday Trading (Modernisation) Bill and pilot full-day openings in select regions.
• Industry reporting says Treasury officials had informally floated relaxing Sunday hours in the context of negotiations over business rates, a linkage some insiders described as political ‘kite flying.’
• Opponents including the Christian Institute warn longer hours would increase pressure on retail and ancillary staff and disrupt family routines, a concern also raised previously by USDAW.
• Supporters cite Scotland’s unrestricted Sundays and the 2012 Olympics suspension—when UK retail sales rose—as evidence that extended opening could boost trade and reflect modern shopping patterns.