French merchants seek Sunday opening flexibility

French merchants are asking for more flexibility in Sunday opening rules due to ongoing protests, which have caused substantial revenue losses. Many stores have opted to close and block their entrances out of fear of damage or looting during protest days. The business community is requesting the right to open on Sundays until the end of the year, and the government has shown openness to this request, promising a more flexible approach than current regulations.

Macron law allows existing Sunday openings

The current regulation, introduced by the Macron law of 2015, already permits significant flexibility. The law created international tourist zones (ZTI), where retail stores can bypass Sunday rest rules for employees throughout the year. These zones are mainly located in Paris and other cities such as Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Deauville, and La Baule. In these areas, stores are already open on Sundays, and the need to request a derogation does not exist.

Mayors can open stores on Sundays

Another key provision of the Macron law is the "mayor's Sundays," which allows municipalities to open stores on Sundays up to twelve times a year. This measure applies to all municipalities, regardless of their size. However, a 2021 study by the Alliance du Commerce found that many cities, including Rennes, Nantes, Strasbourg, and Grenoble, used only five or fewer of their allocated Sundays. Cities like Marseille, Reims, and Perpignan used the full quota.

Government may extend Sunday openings

The government has proposed allowing prefects to issue decrees to increase the number of "mayor's Sundays," enabling mayors to add Sundays at the last minute if needed. However, the list of Sundays worked must typically be validated before December 31 of the previous year. Many mayors did not expect the social movement and thus did not request the November Sundays. The government may allow them to add these Sundays retroactively.

Employee voluntarism raises concerns

Once the legislative obstacle is cleared, there remains a social challenge. Work on Sundays must be based on the voluntarism of employees, who must accept working their Sunday rest day and be compensated accordingly. However, some unions, such as the CGT, have criticized this notion of "voluntarism," with Elodie Ferrier, federal secretary of the CGT, stating that employees who do not accept would be "put aside" and eventually have no choice but to comply. Minister of Labor Jean-Pierre Farandou emphasized that Sunday openings would be "based on the voluntarism of employees."