Sunday trading

Sunday Trading Act 1994

The Sunday Trading Act 1994 reformed the law relating to trading on Sundays and permitted shops to trade by retail. However, restrictions were placed on the trading hours in relation to large shops. Large shops are defined as those with a floor area exceeding 280 square metres.

Large shops are permitted to trade for a maximum of six hours opening no earlier than 10.00am and closing no later than 6.00pm. The need for large shops to notify the Local Authority of their trading hours, and the need for a public register to be maintained were removed by the Regulatory Reform (Sunday Trading) Order 2004.