Switzerland mulls allowing shops to open up to 12 Sundays per year

Council of States committee wants to allow up to twelve Sunday sales Keystone-SDA

Swiss cantons could soon be allowed to authorise shops to open on up to 12 Sundays a year, up from the current limit of four. This proposal, backed by a Swiss Senate committee, follows a request from canton Zurich.

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The Economic Affairs Committee of the Senate voted 10 to 2 in favour of a parliamentary initiative, according to parliamentary services on Tuesday. The House of Representatives’ sister committee will make the next decision on this matter.

The committee describes this proposal as moderate, stating it would give retailers a tool to better compete with online sellers. The initiative also considers the evolving shopping habits of the population, according to the press release.

However, the committee has rejected further relaxation of Sunday trading rules, as proposed by the House of Representatives. This change would have permitted small grocery stores to open on Sundays.

Translated from German by DeepL/sp

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