OBI joins the group of chains that will open shops on Sundays
Wpis dostępny jest także w języku:
polski
Exploiting a loophole in Sunday trading ban laws, initially discovered by grocery store chains, is becoming increasingly popular. The ever-increasing number of competitors available seven days a week pushed Obi DIY chain to follow the trend and extend the range of services to include a postal outlet – it will allow the chain be open every Sunday.
Retailers who do not open seven days a week are at a competitive disadvantage and risk losing consumers. As a result, numerous players extended their services to include postal outlets, which are authorized to have staff behind the counter on non-trading Sundays under the legislation. The first chain to take advantage of this option was Zabka, which received postal outlet status in 2012 and encouraged franchisees to establish outlets across Poland when the law “on the limitation of commerce on Sundays, holidays, and certain other days” went into effect in 2018. Abc, Euro Sklep, Polomarket, Intermarche, Chata Polska, Stokrotka Express, Lewiatan, Biedronka, Delikatesy Centrum, and Sklep Polski have all recently used this option.
Urban areas have a higher willingness to shop on Sunday than rural areas
According to the CBRE survey, 55% of consumers want the Sunday shopping option to return. In the previous research, performed in June 2020, this figure was 51%. As a result, there was a 4 percentage point increase. One out of every three respondents has the other viewpoint, and 14% have yet to form an opinion on the subject. It is worth noting, that there is a noticeable contrast between rural and urban residents: in the countryside, 48% of respondents support reinstating the option to open stores on Sundays, while 64% support it in cities with populations of more than 500,000 people. Between 56% and 60% of people in smaller cities with populations of 20,000 to 500,000 agree that shopping Sundays should be reinstated.
Nevertheless, the regulatory gap that allows postal stores to sell on non-commercial Sundays will be eliminated soon. President Andrzej Duda approved a measure that tightens the prohibition on trading on Sundays. It will allow retailers that also offer postal services to operate on non-trading Sundays if the revenue from this activity accounts for more than 40% of the total revenue of the store. The law will take effect on the first day of the month after the three-month period following its enactment.
