On July 22nd, you will be able to use your local supermarket all day and well into the evening, too. This would generally be seen as unremarkable, if not for the fact that July 22 falls on a Sunday this year – the day that usually sees large commercial properties open later and close earlier due to restrictions upon trading hours. However, for eight weeks this summer, these laws will be relaxed, allowing large stores to take advantage of the influx of athletes and spectators from all over the world during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
According to the Government, the London Olympics present a “unique opportunity” for UK businesses, as with a much higher customer base for the summer months many can expect a much higher profit turnover than is normal, especially in a country teetering on the brink of a double-dip recession. Over the course of the eight week “experiment”, the predicted extra spending by shoppers is a whopping £200 million – surely a bonus for a few extra hours of work per week.
However, should this scheme prove successful, this could pose a problem for other days marked as trading black spots in the annual calendar – namely, Bank Holidays. Already, dates such as Good Friday and the following Bank Holiday Monday are not exempt from the consumer frenzy in the country, with most large stores and shopping malls opening either for a slightly shorter time or for full trading hours on these days. Easter Sunday remains one of the only days of the year, along with Christmas Day, to enforce the Bank Holiday laws across all commercial properties, as most Bank Holiday laws do not apply to retail properties.
Predictably, this attack on holiday time has sparked controversy, especially with the Church of England. There has already been some debate earlier this week within the General Synod, the Church’s parliament, about fixing the date of Easter permanently to prevent disruption to commercial properties and establishments such as schools, following growing pressure from education chiefs.
Traditionally, the date of Easter is determined by the lunar calendar, with the day itself falling upon the first Sunday on or after the Spring equinox. This can be any time between March 22 and April 25 – making calculating public holidays a complex task.
William Fittall, Secretary General of the Synod and the Archbishops’ Council, said “The Government cannot tell Christians when to celebrate Easter.
“They can tell us when to have bank holidays and school holidays, but the issue is whether the major Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter should be recognised as major public holidays.”
Undoubtedly, the Church’s opposition to the Sunday opening hours should also apply to Bank Holidays. Yet, with even one of the most important events in the Christian calendar under attack from the Government, will the Church be able to exert any influence over the closure of retail properties on certain days of the year?
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