Frequently Asked Questions

A Notice of Motion was brought to Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in September 2024 to deliver a pilot Sunday trading scheme that provides earlier Sunday trading hours. 

In July 2025 the Council agreed to revisit the proposal for an extension of Sunday trading hours for Belfast through the implementation of a ‘holiday designation’ status across the Belfast City Council area, as opposed to the city centre only (which has previously been consulted on). 

The purpose of this consultation is to seek your views on the holiday designation being extended across the full Belfast council area at peak times of the year and to learn how this change could affect you.

In Northern Ireland, shops with a floor space of more than 280 square metres can sell goods on Sunday between 1pm and 6pm (excluding Easter Sunday and Christmas Day if it falls on a Sunday). 

If areas are designated as holiday resorts, large shops are permitted to open at any time on up to 18 Sundays between 1 March and 30 September each year (excluding Easter Sunday). The holiday designation means that these shops do not have to follow the restricted Sunday trading hours of 1pm to 6pm on those 18 occasions.

Sunday trading in Northern Ireland is governed by the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. This legislation sets out the rules on which shops can open on Sundays and the hours that larger stores are permitted to trade. 

Any changes to Sunday trading hours must comply with this legislation. 

Currently, large shops (with a floor space over 280 square metres) can only open between 1pm and 6pm on Sundays. Smaller shops do not have to follow the same restrictions.

No. The Council can only act within the powers granted under the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.  Any change must follow the statutory process, which includes public consultation and formal decision making by elected Members.

No decision has been made at this stage. The Council wishes to explore the views of the public, businesses and stakeholders on the holiday resort designation before any proposal progresses.

After the consultation closes on 14 May 2026, all public, business and stakeholder feedback received will be shared with elected members, enabling them to make a final decision on whether to proceed with the holiday resort designation. 

It is anticipated this will take place by June 2026, meaning Sunday 5 July 2026 would be the first available Sunday that larger retailers would be permitted to open as they wish, while Sunday 27 September 2026 would be the final Sunday available for extended opening.  

We are inviting all interested stakeholders (including residents, visitors, workers, business owners, representative organisations and community organisations) to complete a short questionnaire on our engagement platform, Your Say Belfast: https://yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk/

No. Any change would enable businesses to open for longer, but it would not require them to do so. Opening hours would remain a commercial decision for individual businesses.

Employment rights would remain unchanged. Workers cannot be forced to work on Sunday if their contract does not require it. Existing employment protections would continue to apply.

Larger retailers would be required to notify us of the Sundays on which they intend to open earlier. We would maintain a register of shops opening earlier, including their address, dates/times they intend to open.

Our research shows that some of the benefits of extending opening hours on Sundays include:

• being able to compete with other UK and European cities 
• boosting visitor and tourism spending 
• greater city centre vibrancy
• additional trading opportunities for retailers

Historically, Sunday trading laws have reflected religious and cultural traditions. We recognise that Sunday remains an important day for worship and rest for many citizens. We welcome views from faith groups and individuals as part of this consultation.

• Monday 23 March 2026 – Launch of public consultation 
• Wednesday 14 May 2026 - Public consultation closes
• March and April 2026 - Wider engagement with business representatives, unions and other key stakeholders
• 22 May 2026 - Consultation feedback report brought to Strategic Policy and Resources Committee 
• 1 June 2026 - Council meeting to make final decision
• 1 July 2026 - One month from date of resolution (as set out in legislation)
• 5 July 2026 - First available Sunday that larger retailers are permitted to open early.
• 27 September 2026 – Final Sunday that larger retailers are permitted to open earlier (13 Sundays in total)
• 4 October 2026 - Stores revert to 1pm to 6pm opening on the remaining Sundays in 2026