RANSOMS Garden Centre has said it wouldn’t benefit from a reform to Sunday trading laws – but that it would “reluctantly be forced” to follow their competitors’ lead if it were to open on Sundays.
The Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel was responding to a proposed reform to Sunday trading laws, which aim to remove some of the bureaucracy businesses currently have to go through if they want to be open on Sundays.
The panel criticised Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel for what it viewed as a limited consultation in which he spoke “mainly” with businesses that had called for more Sunday trading.
Instead, the panel revealed, in an official comments paper, that it had heard from Ransoms that claims of red tape in the current system were “an overexaggeration”.
Ransoms said it “would not wish to open any additional days to those we are already able to, as we do not believe there are many additional sales to be made but our sales would simply be spread over seven days rather than the six days we currently open”.
It added that staff costs would increase, but not profits, and added: “However, if competitors in our sector decided to open every Sunday, we would reluctantly be forced to open to avoid losing sales to them.”
Sunday trading would be “unpopular” with staff, it added.
The proposals would get rid of the need for shops to get a permit before they can trade on Sundays.
The Economic and International Affairs panel highlighted comments from the Jersey Consumer Council, which praised the law as “a positive step” provided there were “appropriate checks and balances” to make sure workers’ rights were followed and staff paid fairly.
The panel said it had not received “clear evidence” of how these checks could be carried out or how treatment of staff could be monitored. The panel also repeated concerns raised by the Constables’ Committee about the potential impact on children and families, if more people needed to work on Sundays or bank holidays.
Ransoms representatives echoed concerns about families, saying the proposed change “appears to be driven largely by the interests of major food retailers”.
And the panel requested “assurances” from Deputy Morel that noise disturbances, for example from deliveries, would be monitored and managed.
The Chamber of Commerce, the panel added, had already proposed a voluntary code of conduct. This, however, would be a form of self-regulation, the panel said.
The proposition is due to be debated this week.
