Seasonal and Sunday trading

Sunday trading rules came into force in 1994. The rule allows small shops in England and Wales with a floor area of up to 280 square metres (3,014 square feet) to choose their own Sunday opening hours.

Employers must be aware that staff who work on a Sunday may have special employment rights. Large shops with a floor area greater than this limit can open for 6 continuous hours between 10.00 and 18.00 on a Sunday.

There are no restrictions on Sunday trading hours in Scotland.

This guide sets out when large shops can open on a Sunday and outlines the steps they must take if they do. It covers the restrictions on opening hours for large shops on Easter Sunday and on Christmas Day.

This guide also outlines marketing and business considerations to take into account when trading in the holiday selling season.

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Considerations for seasonal businesses

If you do most of your business at seasonal peak times, such as Christmas, you will need to plan your business carefully to maximise your turnover during busy periods and make the most of quieter periods.

• Put a marketing strategy in place to maximise your exposure. See the page in this guide on how to adapt your marketing strategies for seasonal trading.
• Plan your cashflow. You will need to ensure you have sufficient cash reserves to purchase the stock you will require for your peak period and to see you through the quieter times of the year. See the page on how seasonal businesses can manage cashflow in our guide on advice for seasonal businesses. 
• Make sure you have sufficient stock. Check suppliers can deliver the stock you need when you need it. Put contingency plans, such as alternative suppliers, in place.
• Check your distribution systems can cope with the extra demands placed on them during your peak periods. Consider factors such as adverse weather, or delays due to the extra volume of Christmas post.
• Decide how you will store additional stock. See our guide on stock control and inventory.  
• Consider how you will fulfil orders if you trade online. Your website and distribution systems must be capable of handling larger order volumes at seasonal peaks. See our guide on fulfilling online orders. 
• Plan your staffing. You could consider offering overtime, hiring temporary staff or outsourcing work during busy periods. See the page on getting the right staffing levels in our guide on advice for seasonal businesses. 
• Make the most of quiet periods. You can use the time to plan ahead, carry out routine maintenance, plan new marketing campaigns or review pricing, systems or suppliers. See the page on how to make the best use of quieter periods in our guide on advice for seasonal businesses.

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Adapt your marketing strategies for seasonal trading

Consumer and retail business are generally busiest and make the most profits at peak seasonal holiday periods, eg Christmas and Easter. By changing your marketing plans at these periods, you can get the most out of your sales and increase your profits.

You can target customers through seasonal marketing campaigns, or special offers during busy times.

Seasonal marketing and sales strategies should:

• be in place before your peak selling season begins
• identify which new and existing products will be promoted
• include plans for designing and producing seasonal advertising and promotional materials

See our guide on how to write a marketing plan.

Writing an annual sales forecast and sales plan can help your business control its cashflow and manage the extra costs at busy times.

See our guide on how to forecast and plan your sales.

Online marketing during seasonal peak periods

Your website should be included in your seasonal marketing strategy, by featuring and promoting specific items. You should add season-specific search engine optimisation terms to your website to help customers find your seasonal promotions. You should also allow for longer delivery times to customers during holiday periods.

See our guide on how to generate business from your e-marketing plan.

Selling and marketing overseas

Christmas and Easter are likely to be good times for selling and exporting goods overseas. Researching overseas markets – and the government help available for exporters – will help your business exploit these opportunities.

Special trading hours during holiday periods

Your business may also be affected by the regulations for special trading hours during holiday periods.

See the page in this guide on requirements for large shops on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.

See the page in this guide on considerations for seasonal businesses.

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Sunday regulations for large shops

Large shops in England and Wales – retail businesses with a floor area of more than 280 square metres (3,014 square feet) have restrictions on their Sunday opening hours under the Sunday Trading Act 1994.

Affected shops can only open on a Sunday for a continuous period of six hours between 10.00 and 18.00.

If your business is affected by the rules, you must clearly display your Sunday opening hourse inside and outside your shop.

You also need to check whether you require permission from your local authority to load and unload goods before 09.00 on a Sunday.

There are significant fines for large shops that fail to comply.

You can find your local authority on the GOV website.

Shops exempt from Sunday trading rules

Some categories of large shop are exempt from the Sunday trading opening hours restrictions, eg:

• off-licences selling only or mainly alcohol
• airport and railway station outlets
• service station outlets
• registered pharmacies selling only medicinal products and medical and surgical appliances
• farms selling mainly their own produce
• outlets wholly or mainly selling motor or bicycle supplies and accessories
• suppliers of goods to aircraft or sea-going vessels on arrival at, or departure from, a port, harbour or airport
• exhibition stands selling goods

Sunday trading employee rights

Workers in any size of shop that opens on a normal Sunday, Easter Sunday or Christmas Day may have special employment rights.

See our guide on Sunday working and night working.

For more basic guidance, see our section on working time.

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Requirements for large shops on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day

As well as complying with restrictions on opening hours on normal Sundays, large stores of more than 280 square metres (3,014 square feet) must not open on:

• Easter Sunday (except Scotland)
• Christmas Day

Small shops are free to open when they choose on these days.

There are significant fines for failing to comply with these requirements.

Remember that your employees may have special employment rights if they’re required to work in your shop on Sundays. For more information, see our guide on Sunday working and night working.

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CASE STUDY

Here’s how I made my seasonal business successful

The Christmas Shop is situated between two tourist landmarks – London Bridge and Tower Bridge – and sells everything you need to make Christmas go with a bang, from crackers to nativity sets and Christmas trees to tree-top angels. Most of its sales come in the last three months of the year. Here’s how owner David Thompson made it work.

WHAT I DID

Tightly budget and forecast

“For a business like this, budgeting and forecasting is very important. About half of our sales come in October, November and December, so we need to carefully balance our sales against costs in the earlier parts of the year.

“It’s been a bit easier to forecast accurately for the past few years, with the business being pretty much consistent in the crucial months of November and December.

“It’s only really experience that has taught us this – there’s no magic formula. But without accurate planning, or understanding our customers, the first ten months of the year could be much more difficult for us in cashflow terms than they are.”

Diversify the offer during quieter periods

“While we get customers who live and work in the area buying throughout the year so they can spread the cost of Christmas, we need to make the most of the tourist trade that kicks off in earnest at the beginning of July, to keep sales up during the off-season months.

“Some tourists buy Christmas-related items because they don’t think they’ll be able to get them at home, but we also stock a range of cards, gift wrapping and general giftware so that tourists and passing trade can buy from us, whatever the time of year. We mainly concentrate on strong, traditional British brands like Royal Doulton and Royal Worcester, with the tourist trade particularly in mind.”

Build a strong relationship with suppliers

“We’ve also managed to build excellent relationships with key suppliers. It’s taken us time, but it’s been well worth it.

“Like most retailers, we do the bulk of our ordering in January and February. But where we’re different is that we’ll take the stock immediately, rather than early September. As we help suppliers save warehousing and storage costs, we’ve negotiated some pretty long payment terms.

“It’s obviously good for us – but it’s good for the suppliers too. We can only do it because we’ve built up a relationship and a reputation for paying on time and building mutual trust.”

WHAT I’D DO DIFFERENTLY

Build additional channels earlier

“If I had my time again, I would probably have found a way to diversify earlier to minimise the cashflow peaks and troughs. I thought about importing and wholesaling Christmas-related products at one stage, but I missed the right time to do it really.

“We’ve opened an online shop and that’s generated valuable additional trade from right across the world, all year round. If I had known it was going to be successful, I’d have done that earlier too.”