While respecting local cultural and economic demands, we believe that there is a need for a revision of regulations on shop opening hours.  Restrictions on shops opening hours have an impact not only on the possibility for consumers to access the services provided by retailers, but also on the price of products. Regulations on opening hours raise operational, logistics and infrastructure costs for retailers because they limit the possibility to sell products.

Current changes in the lifestyle of consumers (increasing number of families where both adult members work fulltime) call for retailers to adapt to these new demands. ERRT believes that more flexibility in this area would bring more jobs, wider choice for consumers and boost competitiveness at a crucial time for the European economy.