Sunday Shopping Still Growing

Shopping habits have changed since Sunday trading hours were introduced. Ten years after its deregulation, a full relaxation of the law seems to be in order.

The Sunday Trading Act became law on August 29 1994, allowing major retailers to open for up to six hours a day. Sunday has become, after Saturday, the second biggest shopping day of the week. Figures from traffic monitor FootFall show Sunday shopping is still on the increase, with 3.1 per cent growth in the numbers choosing to shop on a Sunday in 2003, and 5 per cent in 2004.

David Smyth, director of marketing and strategy at FootFall said: "Year-on-year we have seen an increase in the amount of people shopping on Sundays. People's attitudes towards Sundays and how they choose to spend them seems to have changed significantly over the last ten years. People now enjoy having an option of when they shop during the weekend and Sunday is fast becoming the 'new Saturday'."

With demand growing, some retailers are testing the exact limits of the law through methods such as a viewing or browsing period before the official opening time. This gives customers a chance to select their purchases, and in the case of supermarkets even fill their trolleys, before payment legally changes hands. While the employment and other social implications of fully deregulated Sunday opening remain a political hot potato, many expect major retailers to start lobbying in earnest after the next general election, likely to be called next year.

David Ramsden, the former deputy chairman of the Shopping Hours Reform Council, the organisation which led the campaign for Sunday shopping a decade ago, told the Observer newspaper: "Sooner or later someone will move for a more realistic approach. Total deregulation is the only sensible option. The 1994 legislation was a compromise."