Small shops to benefit from Sunday trading rules?

Paweł Mucha, the deputy head of President Andrzej Duda’s office, said that restrictions on Sunday trading are "a certain cause for complaint from the consumer's point of view".

But he added the restrictions "can have positive effects for small and medium entrepreneurs".

Sunday was the first day on which trading was banned under new rules signed into law by Duda in late January.

Mucha told public broadcaster Polish Radio on Monday: "If we have a huge hypermarket closed, then there is a natural gap for smaller shops and if it evolved in this direction, I would be extremely satisfied."

He cautioned that more than one Sunday of restricted trade is needed for a "comprehensive assessment" of the impact of the new rules. He added that similar regulations exist in many other European countries.

Trading in Poland will this year be banned on two Sundays each month. The ban will be stepped up to three Sundays a month in 2019, while in 2020 trading will be prohibited on all Sundays except seven, including those in the run-up to Christmas and Easter.

Retailers will be able to do business on Sundays as long as they serve customers themselves.

The ban does not apply to outlets such as online stores, fuel stations, airports, bakeries, pharmacies and flower shops.

(pk)

Source: PAP