Shops in Canton Zurich will soon be given more chances to open their doors on Sundays, thanks to new plans approved by the cantonal council. It is hoped that the proposal will help bolster local businesses, while others fear poorer working conditions for retail workers.

Zurich moves to quadruple Sunday opening days for stores

Currently, Sunday opening hours at shops and supermarkets in Switzerland are heavily regulated. With the exception of stores at train stations, petrol stations, ski resorts, farmsteads, (some) bakeries and airports, stores are not allowed to open or operate on Sundays. Staff who do work on Sundays are given generous salary compensation for working on the day through overtime.

However, shops are allowed to open freely on four Sundays a year (Sonntagsverkauf), typically in the lead-up to public holidays like Christmas and Swiss National Day. Under plans approved by the cantonal council in Zurich, this number will be increased to 12 Sundays a year. 

This was made possible thanks to federal plans passed through parliament in March, giving cantons the right to relax Sunday opening rules. What’s more, this week parliament will vote on a further relaxation, allowing village shops which sell food to open every Sunday of the year.

Sonntagsverkauf helps preserve Swiss high streets, supporters argue

FDP cantonal councillor André Müller, who proposed the increase in Zurich, said the extra Sunday shopping is designed to help local stores. Colleague Andri Silberschmidt added that the plans will go some way to “preventing shops from dying out… society has a need to shop on Sundays.”

Green Liberal Council of State member for Zurich, Angelina Tiana Moser, added that “liberalising shop opening hours improves the competitive conditions for local businesses and revitalises city centres." With more and more shoppers taking to the internet to get their shopping fix, it's hoped that the longer opening hours will lure customers away from laptops and onto the high street.

Sunday shopping harms worker wellbeing, opponents retort

While the idea found a majority among lawmakers, the proposal was condemned by Swiss trade unions. Unia spokesperson Anne Rubun told 20 Minuten that 90 percent of their members are against longer opening hours.

"People work six days a week and often for 12 to 14 hours a day…Private life suffers enough as it is,” she argued, adding that only the larger companies would benefit from the rule change as they are the only ones who can afford to employ workers for an extra day.

"They are sacrificing their family life so that we can get a six-pack of beer on Sunday," Social Democratic co-president Cédric Wermuth told the newspaper. He also refuted the idea that longer hours mean higher profits for stores: "Just because shops are open longer doesn't mean that customers can spend more money."

Sunday shopping expansion still at the mercy of Swiss referendums

Valais National Councillor Philipp Bregy (Centre) said that while he was in favour of the plan, "Even the smallest changes have failed due to resistance from the unions and in some cases from businesses." In March 2024, Valais voters rejected extending legal opening hours by 30 minutes. 

The proposed extension of Sunday openings in Zurich will likely retain its support within the cantonal government. However, both the cantonal and federal plan still could fall foul of a referendum.

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