Why big shops can only open for six hours on a Sunday
The large supermarket opens at ten and shuts at four while the corner shop stays open all day. The reason is a law from 1994, and it works differently in Scotland.
If you have ever arrived at a large supermarket at half past nine on a Sunday morning, you will know the doors stay shut until later than the rest of the week. Sunday opening in England and Wales is controlled by the Sunday Trading Act 1994, and the rules depend mainly on the size of the shop.
Large shops and small shops
The law treats a shop as "large" if its sales floor is bigger than 280 square metres, which is about 3,000 square feet. That covers most supermarkets, department stores and big retail park units.
A large shop can open for a maximum of six hours in a row on a Sunday, and only between 10am and 6pm. That is why so many big stores trade from 10am to 4pm or 11am to 5pm. Each shop must display its Sunday opening hours.
Small shops, with a sales floor of 280 square metres or less, can open whenever they like on a Sunday. That is why the convenience stores run by the same supermarket chains often stay open all day while the big branch down the road closes.
Browsing before the tills open. Many large stores open their doors earlier than the official time and let customers walk round and fill their trolleys. This browsing time is allowed. What the law restricts is selling, so the tills stay closed until the six-hour trading period begins.
Shops that are exempt
Some types of shop are not covered by the restrictions even if they are large. The exemptions include:
- pharmacies selling only medicines and medical supplies
- shops at railway stations and airports
- petrol stations and shops selling car and bike parts
- farm shops selling mainly their own produce
- shops at service stations on motorways
- stalls at exhibitions
Easter Sunday and Christmas Day
Large shops in England and Wales must close completely on Easter Sunday. Every large shop must also close on Christmas Day, whichever day of the week it falls on, under a separate law, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004. Small shops can open on both days if they choose.
Scotland is different
Scotland never had the same Sunday restrictions, so large shops there can open for as long as they like on a Sunday. Large shops in Scotland must, however, close on Christmas Day.
What it means for shop workers. Shop staff in England and Wales also have special protection. Most shop workers can opt out of working on Sundays by giving their employer written notice, and they must not be treated unfairly for doing so. Workers taken on specifically to work only on Sundays are treated differently. The rules are explained on GOV.UK.
Will it change? Sunday opening has been debated in Parliament many times since 1994, and the rules were suspended for eight Sundays during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. For now, the six-hour limit remains the law for large shops in England and Wales.
