Shops in Andalucia to remain open on Sundays and holidays during summer

Image of a woman shopping.

Image of a woman shopping. Credit: Bobex-73/Shutterstock.com

In line with regulations, shops in Andalucia will be able to stay open every Sunday and public holiday from tomorrow.

As of Sunday, June 4, shops in the High Tourist Influx Areas (ZGAT) will remain open for a total of 20 extra days through the summer period.

Anybody wishing to find out which towns have been declared Areas of Great Tourist Influx by the Junta de Andalucia can do so by navigating to this page on their website.

This means that on June 4, 11, 18 and 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, August 6, 13, 15, 19, 20 and 27 and August 3, 8, 10, 17 and September 24, both the shops at street level, as well as shopping centres and department stores will remain open.

The decision has caused conflicting opinions though. While the measure seems ‘very positive to employers, the unions consider that ‘it is destroying small and medium-sized businesses’.

Sergio Cuberos, president of the Malaga Chamber of Commerce, assured that this measure is ‘good’. He believes it offers a better service to customers during their stay in Malaga regardless of the day of the week or the date.

He also emphasized that it was positive for trade because: “it has a greater possibility for days and hours of sale”.

As a result, as customer service increases, so does billing, he insisted. In addition, he maintained that this measure led to: “a greater hiring of personnel to cover these holidays”.

This in turn means that: “employment and wealth are generated, while we serve the main economic engine of the province, which is tourism”, he added.

Antonio Solano, the Secretary-General of Commerce at UGT Málaga however, begged to differ. He maintained that the Areas of Great Tourist Influx: “are destroying small and medium-sized businesses”.

In the same way, his union stressed that this measure: “is not generating any hiring”. Instead, it insisted that what the employers have done is: “a modification of the working day”.

As a result, their employees: “work fewer hours daily to concentrate on the holidays and thus maintain the templates”, he claimed.

Solano pointed out that if contracts were made, they were only for the duration of the summer and the sales, not to cover those weekends and holidays.

On the other hand, Solano assured that opening the large shopping centres on Sundays and holidays has caused some 1,900 other shops to close in the capital of Malaga, leading to a decrease of about 4,000 workers since the pandemic.

The union indicated that grocery food establishments were badly affected by this. They claimed that small and medium-sized businesses have been forced to close because they have run out of customers.

They do not have enough money to “even pay the electricity bill” they insisted, since their regulars go to large stores instead to buy the same products that are sold in their local stores.

“As they depend on the people who live in the neighbourhoods, they have ended up closing and many of their premises have become substandard housing”, the union concluded, as reported by malagahoy.es.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments


    • Renato Besomi

      06 June 2023 • 00:44

      Climate change!!!!! Why should Shops be open on Sundays? Cars should not be used, and we have to save electricity, but for the tourist’s everything is ok.

    Comments are closed.