# The Debate: Should the UK relax Sunday trading laws?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-debate-should-the-uk-relax-sunday-trading-laws/
- Published: 2026-11-11T05:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T06:40:55+00:00
- Original publisher: City AM (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.cityam.com/the-debate-should-the-uk-relax-sunday-trading-laws/
- Topics: Business, UK, World

## Key points

- The debate centres on customer choice, town centres and workers’ Sunday time.
- Supporters say longer hours could help shops compete with online retail.
- Usdaw cites weak demand during the 2012 Olympic trading trial.

## Summary

The article presents opposing arguments over whether England and Wales should let larger shops open for more than six hours on Sundays. Supporters say shopping habits have changed since the rules were introduced in 1994, and longer hours could give customers more choice and help revive town centres.

Caroline Green, a retail law partner, points to the popularity of in-store shopping and concerns about online scams, citing research that more than 90 per cent of shoppers worry about AI-related risks. Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas argues the current limit protects retail workers’ time with family and communities, as well as smaller shops that benefit from trading before and after large stores open. She says the 2012 Olympic trial brought little extra business: over two-thirds of large stores were quiet or empty during extended hours, and only five per cent were busy.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.