SUNDAY TRADING: Is partial deregulation the answer?

Abstract

Since the 1960s there have been over twenty attempts at changing the ambiguous and confusing 1950 Shops Act; the most spectacular failure was the most recent attempt, the Shops Bill in April 1986. This piece of legislation foundered although it carried the support of the Prime Minister, her Cabinet, and a sizeable number in the House of Commons. In all cases attempts to change the legislation has been successfully blocked by a coalition of churchmen, trades unions, some retailers and other committed sections of the general public. The latest attempt, in the form of a (Tory) Private Member's Bill, is currently under way. Its thrust is a much more watered‐down set of proposals than those suggested in the Auld Report (and subsequent 1986 Shops Bill), calling for only DIY stores and garden centres to be allowed to open on a Sunday. Dr Clements takes a look at the implications these proposals might have on enforcement of the law, and reports the findings of two consumer studies that suggest that the proposals are not going far enough for many consumers. Empirical data referred to in the paper is drawn from two studies, each of over 1,000 households randomly selected in North Staffordshire, in November 1983 and again in November 1985.

Citation

Clements, M.A. (1987), "SUNDAY TRADING: Is partial deregulation the answer?", Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 14-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb018333