Write to your MP on Sunday trading
Posted on in Business News, Cycles News
The Government is currently considering relaxing the Sunday Trading regulations. This is not a popular measure with consumers, shopworkers, or retailers.
Key Stats
- 58% of consumers support the existing Sunday Trading regulations, compared to 21% who do not support the regulations (Populus, May 2020)
- 91% of shopworkers in large stores do not want longer trading hours on Sundays (USDAW, September 2015)
- Over the course of a year, displacement could cost the convenience sector up to £69m in lost profits and 6,770 jobs. (Oxford Economics/ACS - 2015)
Get Involved
The campaign to prevent the relaxed Sunday Trading regulations was initiated by Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC) member ACS. The IRC is in support of the campaign and urges small businesses and high street retailers to get involved where possible by sending a letter or email to your local MP; a template letter has been drafted up that all retail workers can use that is available here.
You can also show your support for the Keep Sunday Special campaign on Twitter by adding a 'Twibbon' to your profile picture here.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: "The majority of the public are in favour of the existing Sunday Trading regulations, which strike the right balance between the needs of shopworkers, consumers, high streets, small shops and supermarkets. Changing the current laws would serve only to displace trade from the local shops that have been keeping communities going during this pandemic. If anything, local shops and other retailers have been reducing the number of opening hours in their business to keep their staff safe whilst restocking and cleaning stores, and we expect non-essential retailers to operate with limited hours when they re-open later this month."
"There are many measures that have been recommended through high street reviews and task forces in recent years that could support the recovery of high street businesses, but at no point has a change to Sunday Trading regulations been considered and with good reason. To upset the balance that has been struck on opening hours on Sundays would put small shops at risk, with increased costs but no guaranteed benefits for their larger counterparts."
