Finnish shops may open for more hours in the future

The possible repeal of a law regulating shop opening hours in Finland will likely affect only Saturday and Sunday opening hours,  at first. Juhani Pekkala, director of the retail business owners’ union, the Finnish Commerce Federation, says the change will surely affect opening hours, but not as dramatically as most people expect.

"I imagine there will be longer opening hours on Sundays in the summer, extending past 6 pm. And during the weeks before Christmas, stores would be open on Saturdays past 6 pm as well," he says.

Pekkala says that if the current law is amended, specialty stores would likely keep their doors open longer during times that are now ruled out. Beyond that though he doesn’t foresee any major changes to current practices.

"What we will more likely see is that opening hours are slightly adapted to meet customer needs better," says Pekkala.

Change could create more jobs

Pekkala says the debate about liberalising shop opening hours has followed the same trajectory as any other change that is proposed in Finland, saying that "the prospect is seen more of a threat than a possibility".

His retail business owners' union would like to call more attention to the second option.

"You’d think that trade unions would be interested in a concept that would create more employment opportunities. If we can provide more chances for customers to go to the store, the situation can only get better," he says.

Pekkala refers to the war traditional brick-and-mortar shops and retail chains have been forced to fight against the onslaught of online retail.

For this reason, he says that even if shop doors stay open longer at times that suit customers better, it may not be reflected in a noticeable upturn in the decline of retail sector employment overall.

 

Yle Finland