Retailers hit out at move to ban stores opening at New Year

RETAILERS and council leaders have hit back at plans by an MSP to block the opening of large Scottish stores on New Year’s Day.

A private members’ bill at the Scottish Parliament today goes into a three-month public consultation period.

Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, wants to prohibit shops of more than 3,000 sq ft - about the size of a tennis court - from trading on 25 December and 1 January. This year Debenhams opened in Edinburgh and Glasgow on New Year’s Day, prompting fears other big stores may follow suit and break the widely-observed Scottish tradition.

"This bill will give people who work in shops a guarantee and an assurance that they can have these special days off and spend them as they wish," the MSP said.

"The run-up to Christmas and New Year can be a very stressful time for people in the retail industry because of the additional hours, and I don’t think it is excessive to ask that in return for their efforts they can have these days off."

But her intention to stifle New Year’s Day trading in Scotland has angered retail groups and certain councillors who are trying to promote Edinburgh and Glasgow as major world destinations for the Hogmanay period.

Donald Anderson, leader of Edinburgh City Council, said: "Edinburgh is one of the best places in the world to spend Hogmanay and we have worked extremely hard to achieve this.

"On 1 January, when most cities traditionally close their doors and nurse their hangovers, the capital is vibrant and entertaining thousands of residents and visitors. This is a huge asset, both economically and socially, to Edinburgh and Scotland.

"I do not want to see the clock turned back and for the city to become a sleepy deserted no man’s land. These proposals have the potential to do just that. We should be promoting Scotland as a modern forward-thinking country, yet these proposals send out the opposite message.

"When this is so clearly not an issue for most shops, and as long as staff do not feel obliged to work, such proposals are both short-sighted and potentially reckless".

Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, Fiona Moriarty, branded the MSP’s proposal as "just symbolism."

"She wants to stop shops opening on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, but no retailers will ever open on Christmas Day as there is no consumer demand for this.

"However, if consumer demand for shopping on New Year’s Day grows, retailers should be able to respond to this, as it’s critical for Scotland’s tourism industry. In the future, New Year’s Day could be worth upwards of 56 million.

"Our members have agreed to a third way, allowing shops to open but protecting staff who do not wish to work."

The member’s bill has the backing of the shopworkers’ union USDAW which denies that any new law would affect Scotland’s image or popularity as a New Year destination.

"People come in their droves to places like Edinburgh and Glasgow over the New Year period anyway," said a spokesman. "They come to enjoy themselves, not to go shopping. We live in a 365 days a week, 24 hours a day culture and people who work in shops should be entitled to a break on special days like this, particularly in Scotland where the significance of New Year’s Day is greater than it is in the rest of the UK."

Lesley Sawers, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: "The quality and breadth of Glasgow's shopping is truly world-class, with a growing list of designer outlets to rival any other major city," she said.

"Recent research indicates that 60 per cent of visitors state the main reason for visiting Glasgow is for shopping. To prohibit stores from opening on New Year's Day is a backward step that would impact severely on the retail tourism that is so vital to the city's economic prosperity.

"Opening hours should be driven by consumer demand, and operational issues left for stores to resolve."

Ms Whitefield says she expects "overwhelming support" for her proposals.