Don’t give Sundays to the supermarkets, prime minister told

By Liz Wells in Industry News 15th June 2020

Retailer Stuart Reddish, the owner of Baxters convenience store and post office in Sheffield and the national president of the NFRN, has made an impassioned plea to prime minister Boris Johnson to scrap his plans to suspend Sunday trading laws to kick start the economy amid the coronavirus crisis.

In a video message, Reddish told Johnson: “If you value us don’t give Sundays to the supermarkets.”

Reddish explained how the current Sundays had worked well, giving independent retailers a “key advantage” over their multiple rivals.

“People want their local stores to thrive, not to be overwhelmed by the supermarkets,” Reddish added.

The prime minister was reminded that independent retailers were at the heart of their communities and offered customers essential services.

Reddish added that allowing supermarkets to open for longer than the allotted six hours “would not increase business. It will just move it around, costing jobs, threatening businesses, and damaging the high street.”

The prime minister was also reminded that a Populus survey showed that 58% of the general public was in favour of Sunday trading laws.

“They have worked well for many years. We are very concerned about your intention to change these laws,” Reddish added.

Watch the video here.