More stores in France open on Sundays following protest disruption

An increasing number of authorities across France are waiving rules on Sunday trading following several weekends of Saturday protests. 

October 17 saw the gilets jaunes in France join demonstrations which have been repeated on each Saturday since. Pupils and unions have also encouraged Saturday demonstrations, with groups often joining together for marches. 

The first round of protests saw widespread looting and violence, especially in larger cities. 

Subsequent protests have seen less violence but have disrupted trading for businesses in larger towns where protests are taking place, seeing many closed for the day or limiting the number of people who can visit a shop, particularly if it is located on the protest route.

Commerce Minister Serge Papin said he would ask prefects to expand Sunday trading hours, including three additional Sunday openings before Christmas.

Authorities in Seine-Maritime, Loire, Haute-Garonne, Pyrénées-Orientales and Calvados have all authorised certain stores to open on a select number of Sundays to compensate for Saturday disruption. 

The prefect in Hérault has gone further, granting businesses in Montpellier the right to open on all Sundays until Christmas in a bid to help them recoup lost revenue.

Up to half of weekly trade lost - but are Sunday openings effective?

For businesses forced to close on a Saturday, the effects can be damaging. 

“Saturday is usually the best day of the week, but right now, it’s the worst,” said one store owner in Montpellier to France 3.

“Saturday is the busiest day; when you’re forced to close for three consecutive Saturdays, it throws everything into disarray,” said another store owner in Perpignan. 

Some shops make up to half of their weekly sales on Saturday alone, however simply allowing stores to open on a Sunday does not mean that they will recoup all losses. 

Many in France – particularly in the more rural areas – view Sunday as a day of rest, and will not shop even if stores are exceptionally open. 

A significant portion of Saturday foot traffic comes not from just people living close to stores but those from suburban areas heading into town to do their shopping who may not want to make the trip on a Sunday. 

This can extend to store owners. In Perpignan on Sunday (November 8) France 3 reported that many stores remained closed even though they had the authorisation to open. 

What are Sunday trading rules?

Most areas in France are covered by restrictions on Sunday trading, depending on location and type of store. 

Stores selling food products (mostly supermarkets and grocery stores) can stay open until 13:00, although some close earlier at midday. 

If there are not any employees working, for example if a grocery store owner is the only person on the shop floor, it can stay open beyond 13:00.

For larger food supermarkets (more than 400m² in size) those working on Sundays must receive at least an extra 30% of their hourly pay. Certain location-based exemptions to these rules apply.

Restaurants, cafes, and hotels can open on Sundays without restrictions as they ‘respond to the needs of the public’, with employees contracted to work on Sundays. 

Other shops that ‘respond to the needs of the public’ can open on Sunday without any restricted hours. 

This list includes tabacs, pharmacies, DIY stores, florists, service stations, casinos, funeral directors, and sporting/cultural facilities. 

These are not guaranteed to be open, but have the choice to be if they wish. 

Shops in ‘commercial zones’ such as shopping centres can also open on Sundays. 

The zones themselves must meet minimum requirements such as overall size (20,000m²) annual foot traffic and accessibility via public transport to allow for Sunday trading. Staff cannot be contractually obliged to work Sundays but must agree to do so.

There are a handful of locations where rules are relaxed, including train stations and tourist zones.

Major international tourist zones allow Sunday trading for all shops year-round. This includes several areas of Paris, towns on the French Riviera (Antibes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Cannes, Nice, Saint-Laurent-du-Var), Deauville in Calvados, and La Baule-Escoublac in Loire-Atlantique. 

Note this exemption also applies to supermarkets and grocery stores, which can stay open past 13:00 on Sundays in these zones.

Finally, smaller tourist zones can see shops open on Sundays during particular times of the year, with up to 12 Sunday openings typically authorised.

Restrictions are generally stricter in Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle (areas returned to France following World War One), as these departments kept their German rules on Sunday trading. 

See the official Service-public website to check all rules for stores near you. 

If you plan on going to the shops on Sunday, it is always a good idea to check opening hours in advance.