Ongoing talks over Sunday trading

The success of longer opening hours during the Olympics has led the Government to consider relaxing Sunday trading laws on a permanent basis. Supermarkets, trade bodies and other major retailers are currently discussing the impact of the lifting of restrictions with the Government. At present retailers can legally trade for a maximum of six hours on a Sunday, but the Government passed emergency legislation to relax restrictions during the Olympics and the forthcoming Paralympics. Walmart-owned supermarket giant Asda is among the companies sharing customer feedback on the extended opening hours during the Games, according to the Mail on Sunday newspaper. The firm is backing plans for longer Sunday trading hours, with Communities Secretary Eric Pickles thought to be open to the idea of a permanent change. Andy Clarke, chief executive of Asda, said: “The extended hours have become more popular as time has moved on.” The Sunday trading laws were designed to protect shops of less than 3,000 sq ft, by allowing them to open for longer than six hours, but many supermarket-owned convenience stores already qualify as small shops under the legislation. Our experienced Corporate and Commercial solicitors provides a wide range of transactional services. For advice, contact a member of the team: call us on 08456 381 81 or email corporate@ibblaw.co.uk.