OBI – another DIY store bypasses Sunday trade ban

OBI: kolejny market budowlany omija zakaz handlu w niedzielę

Ten post dostępny jest także w języku: polski

Exploiting a loophole in Sunday trading ban laws, initially discovered by grocery store chains, is becoming increasingly popular. Obi DIY stores will now be open every Sunday, thanks to the obtaining a status of a postal outlet.

The ever-increasing number of competitors opened on Sundays pushed Obi DIY chain to follow the trend and make part of the stores available also on Sundays. Now the list includes Bricomarche, Castorama, Leroy Merlin, Jula and since December – OBI.

Numerous players have already extended their services to include postal outlets, which are authorized to have staff behind the counter on non-trading Sundays under the legislation. The first chain to take advantage of this option was Zabka, which received postal outlet status in 2012. Among others, Abc, Euro Sklep, Polomarket, Intermarche, Chata Polska, Stokrotka Express, Lewiatan, Biedronka, Delikatesy Centrum, Smyk, Dino and Sklep Polski have all recently used this option.

Urban regions are more likely than rural places to shop on Sunday

According to a CBRE poll, 55% of customers want the Sunday shopping option to be reinstated. This ratio was 51% in a prior study conducted in June 2020. As a result, the rise was 4 percentage points. One out of every three respondents has the other perspective, while 14% are undecided on the matter. It’s worth noting that there’s a clear divide between rural and urban residents: in the countryside, 48% support restoring the option to operate businesses on Sundays, whilst 64% support it in cities with populations of over 500,000 people. In smaller cities with populations of 20,000 to 500,000 people, between 56% and 60% feel that shopping Sundays should be returned.

Despite this, the regulatory loophole that permits postal retailers to sell on non-trade Sundays may soon be closed. President Andrzej Duda signed legislation tightening the ban on business on Sundays. It will allow businesses who also provide postal services to open on non-trading Sundays provided the revenue from this activity represents more than 40% of the store’s total revenue. After a three-month interval, the legislation will take effect on the first day of the month after its enactment.

The consumer DIY market in Poland grew in value by a record 9% in 2020, according to PMR calculations. Home-bound households upgrading their interiors, and a resilient housing sector that built more apartments than in previous years were key factors.

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