A sunday trading trade off too far
I bet the Olympic experiment of unfettered Sunday opening will become a way of life in terms of retail. I also suspect it will further strike at the heart of independent rural retailers. As yet however, there is no hard evidence, as this article reveals to make the case one way or another
“But just as the shops cannot say how much extra business Sunday trading has generated, the unions cannot offer anything more than “anecdotal evidence” that supermarket staff have been coerced into Sunday working.
The economic benefits do remain uncertain. Victoria Redwood, the chief UK economist at Capital Economics, believes that the overall impact of permanently extended Sunday trading “might not be very large”. She said: “It would probably just prompt consumers to alter when they shop, rather than how much they buy. Larger retailers, including department stores and supermarkets, would stand to gain most, as they are currently most affected by the restrictions. Small independent stores would lose out.”
Without hard facts, the argument rumbles on. A Government commission on the issue is soon to make a recommendation about the future in terms of this issue and when its thinking is announced I will make sure you know what it has proposed.