Federal Council backs change to Sunday shopping rules in Switzerland

Switzerland has moved one step closer to expanding the number of Sundays in a year that shops can open. The Federal Council announced that it supports the proposal.

Switzerland steps closer to more shopping on Sundays

The Federal Council has announced in a press release that it supports expanding Sunday opening hours for shops in Switzerland. The announcement is a response to a proposal, originating from Zurich, by the Council of States’ Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxation, which would see the number of Sundays shops are allowed to be open triple from four to 12 per year.

The government also stated that the final decision on which Sundays, if any, shops can open will be left in the hands of the 26 Swiss cantons. This leaves room for some of the more religious cantons, such as Uri and Appenzell Innerrhoden, to implement the change themselves.

On the working Sundays, “sales staff may be employed without a special permit”, and businesses would also be able to decide whether they open or not. In several cantons, the four Sundays a year in which shops are now permitted to open are usually reserved for the run-up to Christmas.

Why Switzerland could triple sunday shopping days

The reason for the strict rules over whether shops open in Switzerland on Sunday is linked to the country’s religious past. As a Christian-dominated country, Sunday is traditionally a day of rest when people take time off work and attend church.

With this history in mind, the debate over whether shops can open on a Sunday remains. Swiss voters have often voted against expanding Sunday opening hours. Despite this, supporters of the expansion argue that it would help boost Swiss businesses and tourism.

The proposed bill still has a way to go before it potentially reaches voters for a final decision via a referendum. The National Council and the Council of States must also both pass the draft in votes, which could come later this year.