British retailers call for longer Sunday shopping hours

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 26, 2015

Fourteen West End retailers have written a letter demanding Sunday trading hours restrictions to be lifted, according to The Sunday Times. The list includes Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, which state that “extending closing times from 6pm to 8pm would create 2,000 more jobs and £260m of extra sales in those areas alone.”

A parliamentary vote on extending shopping hours on Sundays has been delayed by the government, after more than 20 conservative MPs spoke against the plan. The proposal was put forward by George Osborne in July.

Prime Minister David Cameron has backed the change, saying that the current Sunday trading laws are inadequate.

In the UK, stores are not allowed to open longer than six hours on Sundays.