Over 60% of Poles want looser Sunday trading rules, survey finds

What the survey found

A UCE Research and Shopfully Poland survey published on 27 October found that 60.5% of respondents want more trading Sundays. Full repeal of the Sunday trading ban was the single most popular answer, backed by 27.5% of those polled. Another 19% would accept two trading Sundays a month, and 14% would be satisfied with one. On the other side, 16.5% want the current rules kept, 14.3% want them tightened and 8.7% have no opinion yet.

Full repeal of the Sunday ban27.5%

Two trading Sundays a month19%

One trading Sunday14%

Keep current rules16.5%

Tighten current rules14.3%

No opinion8.7%

Full repeal of the Sunday ban

27.5 %

Two trading Sundays a month

19 %

One trading Sunday

14 %

Keep current rules

16.5 %

Tighten current rules

14.3 %

No opinion

8.7 %

Data from the article text

What respondents want

Robert Biegaj, co-author of the study from Shopfully Poland, said the results do not show that most consumers would like every shop open every Sunday. What more than 60% of respondents do appear to want is flexibility in arranging everyday shopping, which he links to a call for easing the current restrictions.

“Over 60 percent would like to be able to organise daily shopping more flexibly, which translates into a call for easing the current restrictions.”

Biegaj cautioned that the weak backing for keeping current rules should not automatically be read as widespread dissatisfaction. He acknowledged that the existing regulations may not fully suit a significant share of participants, and he argued for a proper assessment of how the rules have worked so far.

No model won a majority

Biegaj said none of the deregulation models tested in the study won an absolute majority among respondents. The authors also noted that additional trading Sundays would not automatically lift total sales in proportion. The effect would depend on whether shoppers buy more or simply spread their existing spending across more days.

“It is clear, however, that none of the deregulation models proposed in the study won an absolute majority.”

Chains would have to weigh staffing, energy, logistics and running costs for each store. Biegaj argued that the result for the whole week matters more to profitability than Sunday takings alone.

Who could gain

Large chains could draw on their extensive operational infrastructure, though they also carry higher costs. Small shops, which often already use the statutory exceptions, could use their location close to customers. Opening the market could increase competition, and the sources do not agree on who would benefit most, so that question remains open.

Where the rules stand

The ban on Sunday trading has applied in Poland since 2018. From 2020, shops may open on only seven selected Sundays a year. The law provides 32 exceptions, among them fuel stations, confectioneries and cafes.