Christmas Day Trading Act – new restrictions on retailers' opening hours

The Christmas Day (Trading) Act came into force on the 9th December. Retailers and their landlords will already be aware of the provisions of the Sunday Trading Act which prevent "large" shops from opening on Christmas Day where it is a Sunday.

This has now been extended so that "large" shops are also prevented from opening on Christmas Day irrespective of which day of the week that is.

As with Sunday trading the rules do not apply to smaller shops - i.e. those with a relevant floor area of less than 280 square metres (3000 square feet).

Also the same exceptions to the Sunday Trading Act apply so, for example, those "large" shops which are currently exempt such as shops at airports and petrol stations can still trade on Christmas Day.

If you require any further information on this issue, please contact Mark Heighton at mark.heighton@cms-cmck.com or on
+44 (0) 20 7367 2177.