With reform of Sunday trading laws put on hold, is England showing the world it’s closed for business?
Adrian Pepper, managing director of Pepper Media and the founder of consumer group Open Sundays, says Yes
You can now shop on the Champs-Elysees in Paris all day on a Sunday. But you can only spend six hours in the supermarkets and tourist emporiums of Knightsbridge, Oxford Street or Westfield.
As things stand in the UK, only socialist Scotland’s shops can open for business all day on a Sunday – no wonder the Nats want to keep it that way.
During the Olympics, shops opened all day on a Sunday for six consecutive weekends. The British took to it in droves. The tourists loved it. Nobody complained. Traditionalists can always enjoy an old fashioned Sunday, but they should not impose their prejudices on the rest of us.
Without reform of trading hours, online retail will continue to overtake the high street. Smaller convenience stores – now dominated by two major supermarket chains – will continue to rip off shoppers by charging an average 10 per cent more than in their superstore equivalents.
London looks set to remain largely closed on Sundays. The tourists will flock to Paris. Or Edinburgh.
Stuart Thomson, head of public affairs at Bircham Dyson Bell, says No
Sunday trading has always been a complex issue. There are genuine worries about the impact of reform, not least on shop workers. And if anything, opponents will portray defeat of the reforms as supportive of small businesses and independent shopkeepers.
Across any reasonable measure, Britain is very open to businesses of all sizes. The government has already put a range of supportive policies in place, from lower corporation tax through to its constant drive against red tape regulation. Business wants action on infrastructure, and the government is delivering on that too.
In the upcoming Autumn Statement, we are likely to see even more business-friendly measures, particularly around business rates and the strengthening of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.
Even the heart of the approach to EU reform is based on improved competitiveness. Despite rebel MPs causing a hindrance in this instance, David Cameron and George Osborne know the value of maintaining a Britain open to business.