Minister Pekkarinen in favour of moderate deregulation of shop opening hours

Mauri Pekkarinen

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Finland's Minister of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen (Centre) is in favour of a plan for moderate deregulation of retail stores' opening hours. He could consider even further liberation of Sunday opening hours in some new areas including the home furnishing and hardware trades, second-hand shops, and antique shops. Pekkarinen would also allow the sales of OTC medicines in retail stores, whereas the sales of light alcoholic beverages would not be further liberated.
      Pekkarinen expressed his moderate views on the deregulation of shop opening hours after having received the report by a Minister of Trade and Industry working party on issues relating to retail trade on Wednesday. On the other hand, Pekkarinen would regard it as necessary to conduct a detailed study into the effects of city planning and zoning on the centralisation and competition of supermarkets.
     
Pekkarinen declined the plan for further restriction of opening hours, which was one of the five possible solutions set out in the report. The Minister cautiously backed the proposal for modest deregulation such that stores could be open every Sunday from May to the end of December, for example from eleven am to five pm.
      "While further restriction of opening hours is out of the question, there are not enough reasons for complete deregulation, either. However, the current opening hours are confusing, and the customer can find it difficult to know when, where, and which store is open", said Pekkarinen.
     
Pekkarinen feels that the sales of non-prescription medicines in supermarkets would seem reasonable, based on the experiences in other countries, whereas he would not put wines onto supermarket shelves. This has been called for by the retailers, who want to see an end to the retail monopoly enjoyed by the state-owned Alko off-licences.
      According to Minister Pekkarinen, further investigations should focus on the issue of how zoning and land use could be regulated to promote actual competition and prevent unnecessary centralisation of trade. Compared with international statistics, the number of enterprises particularly in Finland's current consumer goods sector is quite low, Pekkarinen noted.
     
The report by the Ministry of Trade and Industry working party set out five possible solutions on the regulation of shop opening hours, with the two extremes being the further restriction of opening hours and complete deregulation. As conflicts of interest prevented the members from reaching a unanimous consensus, the working party recommended that various further inquiries should be conducted into the most controversial issues.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  HS Survey: MPs do not back deregulation of retail stores' opening hours (15.6.2005)
  Ministry of Trade and Industry does not envisage speedy arrival of wines in supermarkets (20.6.2005)

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