News story

Sunday Trading Rules relaxed from this Sunday for Olympic and Paralympic Games

Following legislation passed in May this year, Sunday Trading legislation will be relaxed sending a clear signal that Britain is open for business…

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Following legislation passed in May this year, Sunday Trading legislation will be relaxed sending a clear signal that Britain is open for business during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Business Minister Norman Lamb said:

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are almost upon us and you can sense the excitement building. This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase, not just London, but the whole of the country to the rest of the world and provide a boost for the economy, sales and employment.

“Retail workers will keep all their legal protections, such as the right to opt-out of Sunday working, but many will want to take the opportunity to work extra or different hours. I want employers to work with their staff so that we can all make the most of the Olympics.

“I want to make it clear that this is a temporary measure and not a test case for a permanent relaxation of the rules in the future.”

The suspension will only be for eight Sundays, from 22 July to the end of the Paralympic Games on 9 September. After this period the current Sunday trading restrictions will apply again.

The change was announced in the Budget 2012, will mean that shops with a relevant floor area of more than 280 square metres will not be subject to current Sunday trading restrictions during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

**Notes to editors

**1. The suspension will apply in England and Wales. Scotland does not have Sunday trading legislation. Northern Ireland has its own Sunday trading legislation and it is not proposed to alter that legislation.

  1. The guidance for employees is available on Directgov and further guidance for employers can be found here.

  2. The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.’ It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:

  • To create the most competitive tax system in the G20

  • To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business

  • To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy

  • To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.

  1. BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices and speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See [http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom](http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom) for more information.

Notes to Editors

Contact Information

Name BIS Press Office Job Title

Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone

Fax

Mobile

Email bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Name Josh Coe Job Title

Division Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Phone 020 7215 5943 Fax

Mobile

Email Josh.Coe@bis.gsi.gov.uk

Published 20 July 2012