breadcrumb: Retail Green's Push for Sunday Mini-Supermarket Opening in Southwest
Small-scale Supermarkets Pursue Suspended Trading on Sundays (After Green Wool Mini-supermarkets) - Advocates Push for Sunday Openings of Convenience Stores
Got a hankering for some fresh milk or bread on a blasted Sunday? Well, get ready to rejoice, because the pint-sized supermarkets in southwest Germany might soon be open for business on the Lord's Day, thanks to the Greens in the state parliament.
If everything goes as planned, you'll be able to grab your essentials from a mini-supermarket in your neighborhood, even on official holidays, thanks to the Greens' proposed changes to the Baden-Württemberg Shop Opening Hours Act.
"We reckon it's high time to put some legal muscle behind the digital, staffless mini-markets, allowing 'em to operate round the clock, even on Sundays, to boost local supply for the folks," said Green faction leader Andreas Schwarz in lofty Stuttgart to the German Press Agency.
The idea is to create a legal structure that greenlights these mini-markets to open on Sundays, along with the other six days of the week. The legislation will clarity the current legal gray area concerning such stores, as per Schwarz. "Since they don't have folks staffing 'em, there ain't no red tape stopping 'em from being open seven days a week."
From the Greens' perspective, the change is a matter of rural sustainability. By providing a legal basis, they aim to bolster these markets, leading to more of them cropping up in the countryside. "We want folks to be able to get their hands on the everyday necessities without having to drive a coon skin miles to the next megamart," Schwarz explained.
Now, here's some food for thought: retail experts propose Sunday trading for mini-supermarkets could mean a substantial boost for the operators, with many reporting up to three times their usual daily revenue on Sundays. Not too shabby, eh?
In neighboring Hesse, the state parliament has already taken a similar step by passing an amendment to their Shop Opening Hours Act. The tweak makes it possible for stores sized up to 120 square meters to sell necessities seven days a week.
- Sunday
- Retail
- Southwest
- Andreas Schwarz
- Stuttgart
- Mini-supermarkets
- All-day shopping
- Hesse
- German Press Agency
- Rural supply
- Daily essentials
- Small business support
[1] - Federal Shop Closing Act[2] - Sunday trading restrictions[3] - Marketplaces and Sunday trade[4] - Ruhezeit in Germany[5] - COVID-19 and supermarket hours
- Andreas Schwarz, the Green faction leader in Stuttgart, proposed a change in the Baden-Württemberg Shop Opening Hours Act to allow mini-supermarkets to operate on Sundays, aiming to boost local supply for residents in southwest Germany.
- In a push to support small businesses in rural areas, Green lawmakers believe that enabling Sunday trading could provide a much-needed boost in revenue for mini-supermarket operators, with some reporting up to three times their usual daily revenue on Sundays.
- Similar steps have already been taken in neighboring Hesse, where stores sized up to 120 square meters are now permitted to sell necessities seven days a week, under the amended Shop Opening Hours Act.
