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Shop opening hours and Sunday trading

On Mondays to Saturdays, all shops in the UK (regardless of their size) are free to remain open for as long as they wish. The situation is different in respect to Sunday trading.

The Sunday Trading Act 1994 (the STA 1994) regulates Sunday shop opening hours in England and Wales. There are no equivalent restrictions to the STA 1994 in Scotland, but there are similar restrictions in Northern Ireland.

Currently, under the STA 1994, a distinction is made between large and small shops in respect of permissible trading hours. For the purposes of the act, a shop is classified as being large if it is over 280 square metres or 3,000 square feet in size. On Sundays, large shops may open for no more than 6 continual hours between the period 10am and 6pm. All large shops must close on Easter Sunday.

Under the Christmas Day (Trading Act) 2004 all large shops must close on Christmas Day on whatever day of the week it falls.

In contrast, there are no opening restrictions for small shops (under 280 square metres or 3,000 square feet). In effect, a small shop could open twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year including Easter Sunday and Christmas Day, if the owner so wished.

This briefing paper sets out the current legal position in respect of shop opening hours in England and Wales. It also outlines the rights of Sunday shop workers contained in the Enterprise Act 2016.