Independent Retail News joins forces with Keep Sunday Special campaign

The proposals were put forward earlier this month in what the government claimed was a move to boost the UK economy in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown.

But retailers, wholesalers, trade bodies and shop staff all say it would be a slap in the face for small stores that have played a crucial role in keeping the country fed during the pandemic.

Trade bodies are urging retailers to make their views known by writing to their MPs.

David Shrimpton, managing editor of Independent Retail News and TalkingRetail.com, said: “Convenience retailers and their staff have worked night and day to serve their communities during the coronavirus pandemic and to repay them by taking away the one small advantage they have would be a huge kick in the teeth.

“Recent studies have shown 79% of the general public do not support the scrapping of Sunday trading laws, while 90% of shopworkers are against it too.

“None of the numerous reviews into the future of the high street in recent years have recommended extended Sunday trading and there is no credible economic case for such a move – it’s a massive red herring.

“The existing arrangements are a great British compromise that gives small stores a chance to be competitive.

“Removing them would hit sales and even force some shops to close, leaving vulnerable and elderly people in particular without easy access to the products and services they need.

“This move by the government is either misguided or cynically opportunistic and the industry needs to stand up and block it once again – just like we did in 2016.

“That’s why we are adding our voice to the Keep Sunday Special campaign and urging retailers to write to their MPs in no uncertain terms.

“By standing together, we can put an end to this nonsense once and for all.”

Independent Retail News magazine is read by 35,000 retailers and has been serving the convenience community since the 1980s.

Its website – now called TalkingRetail.com – first launched in the late 1990s and currently boasts more than 163,000 unique users a month.