Will Poland Lift the Sunday Trading Ban?

One of the "surprises" for Ukrainians who have just arrived in Poland is the Sunday trading ban in Polish shops. It is not only a matter of being unaccustomed to it back in Ukraine — Sunday is a day off for most working people, the very day they have time to go shopping. Yet under the Act on Restricting Trade on Sundays, Public Holidays and Certain Other Days, passed in 2018, only a small number of retail outlets are allowed to open.

Information has recently emerged that this law may be repealed. How credible are these reports, and is there real reason to talk about such prospects? Read on to find out.

How do Polish supermarkets operate now?

Grocery stores in Poland are open Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, large supermarkets — such as Auchan, Lidl, or most Biedronka locations — are closed.

You can still make urgent purchases at small shops where the owner serves customers personally. Petrol-station convenience stores, pharmacies, post offices, shops at railway stations and hotels, and a few other types of outlet are also permitted to trade. We covered supermarkets and grocery stores in Poland in more detail in this article.

A handful of Sundays each year are designated trading Sundays — known as niedziele handlowe. This year there are seven of them. By introducing trading Sundays, the authorities aim to prevent overcrowding before public holidays.

Could supermarket opening hours in Poland change?

On 15 October, Poland held elections to both chambers of parliament — the Senate and the Sejm. The ruling Law and Justice party won 35.38% of the vote; the opposition Civic Platform came second (30.7%), followed by the Third Way coalition (14.4%) and the Left (8.61%). The vote tallies allow the parties that finished in 2nd, 3rd and 4th place to form a government.

Meanwhile, Civic Platform representatives have declared that they are in favour of abolishing the Sunday trading ban, provided that every employee is guaranteed two free Sundays per month and double pay for working on days off. The Third Way supports allowing trading on two Sundays per month.

Industry representatives are also calling for a return to Sunday trading. The Polish Council of Shopping Centres argues that there is both an economic and a social case for doing so. Sunday used to be the single highest-revenue day for the retail sector, so resuming trading on that day would create new jobs and boost tax receipts from retail outlets.

The Council's director, Krzysztof Poznański, adds that shopping-centre infrastructure sits idle on restricted Sundays and therefore generates no income — yet still has to be guarded, cleaned and heated, consuming both human and financial resources.

As we can see, there are strong arguments within Polish society for lifting the Sunday trading ban. It is quite possible that the 2023 parliamentary elections will prove to be the catalyst for a review of the 2018 law.

We will keep you informed about important developments on our blog about life and work in Poland. Looking for work in Poland? Call us on +38 (050) 334-93-51 or +48 525 275 003.