In November there are as many as six non-trading days. Entrepreneurs want changes in regulations.
On Tuesday, October 29, a meeting of the Economy and Development Commission will take place in the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament). During the meeting there will be a discussion on trading in Poland in connection with the ban on Sunday trading. Entrepreneurs from Szczecin will also travel to Warsaw. – Sunday trading is an issue that requires change. November is an important month for the retail trade, and this year we have a record number of as many as six non-working days. The economy cannot afford further losses, especially in the face of such a significant drop in consumption – says Hanna Mojsiuk, President of the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin.
“After all, we have not been trading on Sundays for several years, and small shops are disappearing anyway”
The latest data from the Central Statistical Office on consumption in Poland is surprisingly negative. This decline is significantly greater than just a few months ago. This means that citizens are deciding to spend their resources more cautiously, even when inflation is not as high as it was a few months ago.
In the opinion of the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin, it is necessary to return to the subjects important for entrepreneurs, and one of them is certainly the return to Sunday trading, at least two Sundays a month.
– Trade in recent months has been experiencing increasing losses. The current situation severely weakens both small and the largest stores. Soon we may find ourselves in a situation where the only entities having a justification to exist in the market will be discount stores. Their marketing policy is very aggressive, and price competition means that small shops have no chance to compete with them. Sunday trading will result in the retail sector gaining a new stimulus, and the number of customers will be spread over a greater number of days – says Hanna Mojsiuk, President of the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin.
Many opponents of Sunday trading use the argument that it will hit small stores even harder.
– Such reasoning is not confirmed in reality. After all, we have not been trading on Sundays for several years, and small shops are disappearing anyway. They should be supported, for example with tax breaks, support for small business or even subsidies to media if they are a small family business – says Hanna Mojsiuk.
Sunday trading. Free Christmas Eve, but the possibility of Sunday sales
During the meeting in the Sejm, Hanna Mojsiuk, president of the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin, intends to support the reintroduction of Sunday trading. Entrepreneurs are open to its formula. As Hanna Mojsiuk says, there is still a lot of room for discussion on this subject.
– It can be two Sundays in a month, it can be restricting opening hours, it could be opening stores on Sunday in exchange for a day off on Christmas Eve. Restricting Sunday trading means that, for example, in November 2024 there will be as many as six non-trading days in the month – four Sundays, one Friday and one Monday. This, in the month before Christmas, exposes entrepreneurs, wholesalers and producers to major losses. We must stop treating Sunday trading as a factor that rewards only foreign trading networks. The more sales and traffic in stores, the more movement there will be for manufacturers, wholesalers, farmers, craftsmen and economic entities serving and supplying entrepreneurs in the retail sector – says Hanna Mojsiuk.
The Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin draws attention to another aspect of Sunday trading important for West Pomerania.
– We are a tourist region and in the summer season, shops open on Sundays are needed by tourists. Another matter is the fact that in Germany, shops are also closed on Sunday. Opening them in Szczecin, for example, would increase the presence of shopping tourists from the border regions in our city – adds Hanna Mojsiuk.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/w-listopadzie-jest-az-szesc-dni-wolnych-od-handlu-wolne-wigilie-sa-mozliwe-ale-handel-w-niedziele-powinien-wrocic-97542
