Retail Council of Canada Applauds Sunday Shopping Review

WINNIPEG, April 17, 2012 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada (RCC) applauds the Manitoba government's decision to review the province's Sunday shopping legislation in order to expand retail hours of operations on Sundays.  RCC has been asking for changes to Manitoba's Retail Businesses Holiday Closing Act that would allow retailers to determine their own hours of business on Sundays to better serve their customers.

"This is a major victory for Manitoba retailers.  RCC agrees that they, not government, should be determining how and when retailers can best serve their customers," stated Lanny McInnes, RCC's Director, Government Relations (Manitoba/Saskatchewan).  "We've heard very clearly from customers that they want greater flexibility on Sundays in terms of hours of operation, and we're glad the Manitoba government will loosen the current restrictions and listen to Manitobans."

RCC supports allowing retailers to determine their own hours of operations on Sundays and has been calling on the Manitoba government to expand shopping hours on Sundays.  Manitoba has the most restrictive and antiquated Sunday shopping legislation in Canada.

Sundays have increasingly become the second busiest sales day for retailers across the province, and more and more Manitobans indicated that it's the most convenient day for them to do their shopping.  Extending shopping hours on Sunday would significantly benefit consumers, retailers, and their employees with additional hours of work.

"We've stated that this issue is all about choice - the choice for retailers to decide their own hours and for their customers to choose to shop when is most convenient for them," added McInnes.

About RCC

Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org) is the Voice of Retail. It is a not-for-profit association which represents more than 45,000 stores of all retail formats, including department, grocery, independent merchants, regional and national specialty chains, and online merchants.

For further information:

Lanny McInnes, Director, Government Relations and Member Services (Manitoba/Saskatchewan) at [phone] (cell) or e-mail: [e-mail].