Picture this: it’s 4:15 pm on a Sunday. You’ve just realised you need something crucial for dinner, a birthday gift for tomorrow, or maybe just a giant bag of compost for the garden. You jump in the car, dash to the nearest large supermarket or DIY store, and… you’re met with closed doors or a very hurried cashier telling you they’re shutting till.
If you’ve lived in England or Wales, you know this dance. It’s the Great British Sunday Trading Shuffle. And right now, the music might be about to change.
The UK government is once again reviewing the laws that have dictated our Sunday shopping habits for decades. It’s a topic that pops up every few years, but with the high street fighting for survival and our shopping habits transformed by the internet, the debate has a fresh urgency. So, what’s on the table, and what would it actually mean for you, the shopper?
A Quick Refresher: What Are The Current Rules?
First, let’s untangle the law as it stands, because it’s a quirky one. The Sunday Trading Act 1994 is the rulebook we’re all living by. In a nutshell, it states:
- Large Stores: Shops over 280 square metres (about the size of a small supermarket) can only open for a maximum of 6 consecutive hours between 10 am and 6 pm. They also can’t open on Easter Sunday.
- Small Stores: Any shop smaller than 280 sq m can open all day, whenever it likes. This is why your local corner shop or small boutique isn’t affected.
- Location Exceptions: The rules are also different in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where shops can trade freely. This is why you can have a full-day shopping spree in Glasgow on a Sunday but not in Manchester.
The law was a classic British compromise, trying to balance the commercial desire for longer hours with the preservation of Sunday as a “different” kind of day. But nearly 30 years on, the world has changed dramatically.
Why Now? Increased Costs and Reduced Footfall On The High Street
So why are ministers looking at this again? The drive isn’t coming from nowhere. The pandemic acted as a massive accelerator for online shopping, and our high streets are still reeling. The argument from many large retailers and some government figures is that these laws are an outdated handbrake on economic growth. But it is believed the more recent push to update hours, is based around helping the “high street”, with it’s rising costs and reduction in footfall.
The former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, was reportedly a key proponent of a review. The idea is that devolving the power to set Sunday trading hours to local authorities could be a key part of the levelling up agenda. The thinking goes: if mayors in city regions or local councils could decide their own trading hours, they could tailor them to boost local tourism and high street footfall. A report from the Centre for Policy Studies has argued that liberalising these laws would provide a significant economic boost.
On the other side, the pandemic also reminded us of the value of work-life balance. Many essential retail workers were hailed as heroes, and there’s a renewed focus on protecting their rights and well-being. This tension between economic growth and worker welfare is at the very heart of this debate.
The Case FOR Reform (The “Pro-Choice” Argument)
Proponents of change, often larger retailers and business groups, argue that the current laws are illogical in a 24/7 world.
- Economic Boost & Job Creation: They argue that longer hours would mean more sales, which would lead to more business rates revenue for councils and potentially create more jobs in the retail sector. Or even be a survival tool for struggling businesses, as the Chancelor Rachel Reeves tries to kick start the economy.
- Consumer Convenience: Our lives are no longer 9-5, Monday-Friday. People work shifts, have busy schedules, and Sunday is often the only day they can do a big shop or buy larger items. The law currently frustrates this modern lifestyle.
- Leveling the Playing Field: This is a big one. Why should a large store be penalised while its smaller competitor next door can stay open all day? And perhaps most pointedly, why can consumers spend unlimited time and money online on a Sunday, but are restricted physically? It’s seen as putting bricks-and-mortar stores at a disadvantage.
- Tourism Potential: Cities argue that they lose out on tourist spending because large stores shut early. A family on a weekend trip to London might want to shop in the afternoon, but find their options limited.
The Case AGAINST Reform (The “Protection” Argument)
On the other side, a powerful coalition of trade unions, small stores, and faith groups argues that longer hours would cause more problems than they solve.
- Protecting Workers’ Rights: This is the strongest argument against change. Unions like Usdaw have long campaigned against extensions, arguing that it would erode the one guaranteed day that retail workers get to spend with their families. They fear staff would be pressured into working longer hours on Sundays.
- The Impact on Small Stores: Ironically, many small stores oppose the change too. They enjoy a competitive advantage for those six hours on a Sunday. If large stores could open all day, they fear they would lose this crucial revenue window.
- The Character of Sunday: While a less dominant argument than it was in 1994, many still value Sunday as a quieter, different day for community and family life, and worry that extending shopping hours would further erode this.
To see these arguments side-by-side, the table below breaks it down clearly:
| Argument For Reform (The “Pro-Choice” Side) | Argument Against Reform (The “Protection” Side) |
|---|---|
| Economic growth through increased sales and tourism. | Protection of workers’ right to a shared day of rest with family. |
| Modern consumer convenience for busy, 24/7 lifestyles. | Unfair pressure on staff to work longer, unsocial hours. |
| Levels the playing field with online retailers and small stores. | Protects the competitive advantage of small independent shops. |
| Gives local areas power to decide what’s best for their community. | Preserves the special character of Sunday as a quieter day. |
What Could Change? The Potential Outcomes
This review isn’t happening in a vacuum. Past attempts to change the law, most notably in 2016, failed after significant backlash. So what’s different now, and what might happen?
The most likely proposal is devolution. Instead of a blanket change across England and Wales, the government could hand the power to set trading hours to local mayors or councils. This means a city like Manchester, with a powerful mayor and a focus on tourism, might choose to liberalise laws, while a more rural area might choose to keep things as they are.
This sounds like a neat compromise, but it creates a new problem: a confusing patchwork of laws. Could you drive from one borough where stores are open to the next where they are closed? It would be a logistical headache for national chains.
Another possibility is a more fundamental rewrite of the rules, perhaps increasing the 6-hour limit to 8 hours, or shifting the permitted trading window. But any change that isn’t localised will face the same fierce opposition from unions that has sunk previous attempts.
The Bottom Line: It’s About More Than Shopping
At its core, the Sunday trading debate is a mirror held up to modern Britain. It asks us questions we don’t have easy answers for:
- In our drive for economic growth and convenience, what are we willing to sacrifice?
- How do we properly value and protect the workers who serve us?
- Does local decision-making lead to better outcomes, or just more complexity?
- What kind of society do we want our weekends to reflect?
The outcome of this review will tell us a lot about the current government’s priorities. Will it side with business and consumer choice, or with workers’ rights and tradition?
One thing’s for sure: the next time you’re racing against the clock on a Sunday afternoon, you’re not just doing a shop—you’re living out a decades-old political and cultural compromise. And depending on what ministers decide, that weekly shuffle might soon be a thing of the past.
