Retail Opening Hours in Europe: Regulation That Fails - 4liberty.eu (2025)

If the retailer chooses an alternative closing day:

1. All retail stores 08:00-12:00;
2. Furniture and gardening shops 40 Sundays/year 06:00-20:00;
3. Food chains with less than five employees, butchers, bakers, newsagents and tobacconists, florists, petrol stations 06:00 – 20:00.
4. Other exceptions: on certain conditions 6 Sundays of choice/year for retail
5. Tourist areas: Sunday opening 1 May – 30September, on Christmas and Easter holidays, and a maximum of 13 other Sundays;
6. Night shops: Food and household goods only18.00 to 7.00;
7. Other cases: opening only on Sunday morning between 8:00 and 12:00.

Some supermarkets/hypermarkets are open 24 hours a day

1 April – 31 October

Closing time is 8.00 p.m. with the exception of Wednesday where they close at 3.00 p.m.

The Minister of Labour has issued a Decree declaring the whole of Cyprus as a tourist area. This Decree has effect from 13 May 2015 until 30 November 2015. All shops can open from 5.00 a.m. and close at 11.00 p.m. with the exception of the district of Nicosia where they close at 10.00 p.m.

1 January – 31 December

Unrestricted for bakeries, Pastry shops, Convenience Stores

Flower shops close at 10.00 PM

Shops selling alcoholic beverages and tobacco products close at midnight

1 April – 31 October

Closing time is 7.30 p.m.

1 January – 31 December

Unrestricted for bakeries, Pastry shops, Convenience Stores

Flower shops close at 10.00 PM

Shops selling alcoholic beverages and tobacco products close at midnight

Exceptions:

1. Unrestricted for bakeries, Pastry shops, Convenience Stores;
2. Flower shops close at 10.00 PM;
3. Shops selling alcoholic beverages and tobacco products close at midnight;
4. Christmas Period 1 December – 31 December working hours 5.00 AM – 8.00 PM
5. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve they close at 6.00 p.m.
6. Easter Period – 10 days before Easter
7. Working hours 5.00 AM – 8.00 PM
8. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday they close at 6.00 PM

(1) Sale in retail or wholesale is prohibited on the following public holidays and other holidays:

1. 1 January – Date of Restoration of the Independent Czech State and
2. New Year,
3. Easter Monday,
4. 8 May – Victory Day
5. 28 September –Czech National Day
6. 28 October – Date of Establishment of the Independent Chechoslovak State
7. 25, 26 December – 1^st and 2^nd Christmas Days

(2) Sale in retail and wholesale is prohibited on 24 December – Christmas Eve Day from 12:00 to 24:00

Exemptions:

1. stores whose sale area does not exceed 200 m²;
2. filling stations with fuel and lubricants;
3. pharmacies;
4. stores at locations with higher concentrations of passengers at airports, railway stations and bus stations;
5. sale at healthcare facilities, retail and wholesale at times when a state of emergency, crisis situation national state of alert or state of war⁴) is in effect.

Exceptions:

1. Unrestricted for the sale of bread, dairy produce, newspapers, flowers, plants, cars, ships, and fuel – furthermore exceptions for shops selling items for the house e.g. furniture shops and DIY centres.
2. Unrestricted for stores with turnovers less than 33,1 million Dkr selling DIY products, bakeries, grocers, household articles and garden goods.

Exemptions:

1. Food:

It is possible to start the Sunday rest at 13.00. In this case, for the shops bigger than 400m2, the remuneration is increased at least of 30%

2. Non-food :

“Mayor’s Sunday”: shops can be opened on Sunday by mayor’s decision within the limit of 12 Sundays/year. In this case, the remuneration is at least the double.

3. Other possible exemptions for retail trade, food or non- food in touristic international areas, commercial touristic areas and some stations
4. There are also several sectoral exemptions to the whole day Sunday rest of employees: florists, tobacco shops, DIY, garden centres.
5. Weekly rest can be given by shift for all staff or part of it.
6. Voluntary staff can work on Sundays.

It is necessary to sign a collective agreement at branch, group of companies or plant level. The agreement specifies automatically the wage aspects.

1. Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony: 06:00- 22:00
2. Saarland, Bavaria: 06:00-20:00

1. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Northrhein-Westfalia,

00:00- 22:00

2. Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony

06:00- 22:00

3. Bavaria, Saarland

06:00-20:00

4. Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia

00:00-20:00

1. Bakery products, flowers, newspapers, dairy products, museums;
2. Railway and petrol stations, airports, resorts and places of pilgrimage;
3. In some federal states shops may open when it is in the public interest or in specific circumstances.

Local authorities may grant extensions

1. Convenience stores, pastry shops,
2. photography shops, florists, antiquaries and nut-selling shops
3. Petrol stations
4. Local Prefects may allow small shops (under 250 m2), in specific areas, to open
5. All shops are open on the 2 Sundays before Christmas, on the 1^st Sunday of every Sales period (4 in total), and on the Sunday before Easter.

Budapest Mayor’s Office can regulate local hours within 06:00-22:00

National and religious holiday’s – closed.

9:00-18:00

Public Holidays:

24 December close by16:00 and may not open until 06:00 25 December

Once a week shops can close at 21:00

Days immediately preceding Public

Holidays 06:00-19:00 (except preceding National Day, Christmas Day, 1 January close 18:00)

Where social partners have agreed an extension until 20:00

Saturdays preceding National Day,

Christmas Day, 1 January close 18:00

The Ministry can decide derogations for specific local areas.

Bakeries, butchers, cake shops, kiosks and souvenir shops

06:00 – 18:00

1. Valletta commercial premises until 22:00
2. Tourist areas: Beverages, tobacco, fish, jewellery, souvenirs and photographic equipment 06:00 -23:00
3. Petrol stations 06:00-18:00
4. Automated pumps unrestricted
5. Hiring Carnival costumes until 22:00 from Thursday preceding to Tuesday following Carnival.

1. Valletta commercial premises until 22:00
2. Tourist areas: Beverages, tobacco, fish, jewellery, souvenirs and photographic equipment 06:00 -23:00
3. Petrol stations 06:00-15:00
4. Automated pumps unrestricted

Law 20/2012 on measures to guarantee budgetary stability and promote competitiveness.

Establishments which shall have complete freedom to decide opening hours are as follows:

1. Shops under 300 square meters.
2. Shops engaging primarily in the sale of cakes and pastries, bread, precooked dishes, newspapers, fuel, flowers and plants.
3. Shops operating in railway stations and on overland, sea and air transport terminals;
4. Convenience stores;
5. Shops located in areas with a large tourist population.

Establishments which shall have complete freedom to decide opening hours are as follows:

1. Shops under 300 square meters.
2. Shops engaging primarily in the sale of cakes and pastries, bread, precooked dishes, newspapers, fuel, flowers and plants.
3. Shops operating in railway stations and on overland, sea and air transport terminals.
4. Convenience stores.
5. Shops located in areas with a large tourist population.

Establishments which shall have complete freedom to decide opening hours are as follows:

1. Shops under 300 square meters.
2. Shops engaging primarily in the sale of cakes and pastries, bread, precooked dishes, newspapers, fuel, flowers and plants.
3. Shops operating in railway stations and on overland, sea and air transport terminals.
4. Convenience stores.
5. Shops located in areas with a large tourist population

Deregulated shop opening hours: the Swedish experience

1. England and Wales – Unrestricted for shops smaller than 280 m². Stores larger than 280m² six hours opening within 10:00-18:00.
2. Northern Ireland – Unrestricted for shops smaller than
3. 280m². Stores larger than 280m² five hours opening within 13:00-18:00.

Public holidays:

England and Wales – Unrestricted.

Exception:

1. Stores larger than 280m² cannot open on Easter Sunday or Christmas Day;
2. Northern Ireland – Unrestricted. Stores larger than 280m² must be closed on Christmas day and Easter Sunday.

Exemptions:

1. retail sale at petrol stations, pharmacies, airports, ports, public transport locations, hospitals, sale of transport tickets, souvenir sales.
2. shop owners can open (if the shop seller is self employed, he can work on these days).
3. retail sale of flowers has an exemption on 8th of May, 1st of September and November 1st.

1. Sundays – 12:30-22:30;
2. Christmas Day or Good Friday – Closed.

1. Petrol stations, vending machines, bars, taverns and restaurants, post offices, pharmacies, florists, newsagents, premises where cultural, sports or educational activities are carried on (ex. stadiums, schools, theatres), shops located in hotels, public transport stations, and where the owner runs a shop.
2. Shops and premises are opened on two consecutive Sundays before Christmas, Sunday directly before Easter, and last Sundays in January, April, June and August, on 24 December and on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (Holy Saturday) – until 14:00.

What is more, in 2018 all above-mentioned shops and premises are opened on the first and last Sunday of each month, and in 2019 on the last Sunday of each month. From 2020 there will be no exceptions as to the first or last Sunday of month.

Holidays:

Common practise – closed small shops, but bigger shopping centres are opened on Public Holidays.

1. Local authorities can allow Sunday opening.
2. Good Friday, 24 December and 4 May no opening beyond 19:00

1. Grocers smaller than 100m²;
2. Petrol stations smaller than 150m² Camping site shops in-season.