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2 Jul 2025

MPs have called on Amazon and eBay to tighten controls after e-bikes and chargers flagged as serious fire risks were found for sale on their platforms.

25 Jun 2025

The E-Bike Positive campaign has seen major success in the first half of 2025, with its message reaching nearly 8 million people across the UK through high-profile media coverage and growing...

20 Jun 2025

The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has asked the ACT, and its parent company Bira, to help them reach out to small business retailers across the country, for their quick input on...

20 Jun 2025

Activate Cycle Academy has reopened its Cytech training facility in Darlington, offering a full range of courses from Home Mechanic up to Cytech Technical Three.
 

18 Jun 2025

The Association of Cycle Traders believes the time has come for greater accountability throughout our supply chain, writes ACT Director Jonathan Harrison in an article published for BikeBiz.

16 Jun 2025

The ACT has welcomed the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking's report "Unregulated and Unsafe: The Threat of Illegal E-Bikes", which calls for urgent Government action to...

11 Jun 2025

A new academic study has found that overzealous pro-cycling campaigners on social media may be inadvertently damaging the case for better cycling infrastructure across the UK.

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street...

10 Jun 2025

Bike thefts across England and Wales have continued their steady decline, according to new data released by cycle insurance specialist Bikmo.

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring...

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Write to your MP on Sunday trading

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

The Government is currently considering relaxing the Sunday Trading regulations. This is not a popular measure with consumers, shopworkers, or retailers.

Key Stats

  • 58% of consumers support the existing Sunday Trading regulations, compared to 21% who do not support the regulations (Populus, May 2020)
  • 91% of shopworkers in large stores do not want longer trading hours on Sundays (USDAW, September 2015)
  • Over the course of a year, displacement could cost the convenience sector up to £69m in lost profits and 6,770 jobs. (Oxford Economics/ACS - 2015)

Get Involved

The campaign to prevent the relaxed Sunday Trading regulations was initiated by Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC) member ACS. The IRC is in support of the campaign and urges small businesses and high street retailers to get involved where possible by sending a letter or email to your local MP; a template letter has been drafted up that all retail workers can use that is available here.

You can also show your support for the Keep Sunday Special campaign on Twitter by adding a 'Twibbon' to your profile picture here.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: "The majority of the public are in favour of the existing Sunday Trading regulations, which strike the right balance between the needs of shopworkers, consumers, high streets, small shops and supermarkets. Changing the current laws would serve only to displace trade from the local shops that have been keeping communities going during this pandemic. If anything, local shops and other retailers have been reducing the number of opening hours in their business to keep their staff safe whilst restocking and cleaning stores, and we expect non-essential retailers to operate with limited hours when they re-open later this month."

"There are many measures that have been recommended through high street reviews and task forces in recent years that could support the recovery of high street businesses, but at no point has a change to Sunday Trading regulations been considered and with good reason. To upset the balance that has been struck on opening hours on Sundays would put small shops at risk, with increased costs but no guaranteed benefits for their larger counterparts."

 

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