Christian Sunday trading ban applies to self-service checkouts, judges rule

The German supermarket chain Tegut has 40 fully automated mini-stores. Photo: Tegut

A German «robotic store» has hit out at a court decision to ban it from opening on Sundays amid a dispute over whether federal laws enshrining weekend rest should apply to unstaffed stores.

Thomas Staeb, a board member of German supermarket chain Tegut, criticized the court decision that forced the company to close its stores in Hesse on Sunday despite them being fully automated, saying the decision was “completely grotesque.”

< p> There are 40 fully automated mini-shops in Tegut that sell essential items including oil, vegetables and milk. They are separated from 300 traditional supermarkets throughout Germany.

Stores are under video surveillance: people scan and pay for goods at self-service checkouts. Tegut collects customers' IDs as they enter the store, using their payment cards to avoid theft.

In a conversation with the Financial Times, Mr. Stab said the stores are “essentially vending machines” that should not be subject to federal laws requiring stores to close on Sundays.

The court ruling, which was handed down last December, applies to stores in Hesse, the German state that includes Frankfurt, but not in other regions such as Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Sonntagsruhe, or Sunday rest laws, have been in force since 1919 and require most businesses to close their doors. The laws do not apply to restaurants, pharmacies and gas stations.

As part of the court's decision, the justices said the law is not just about staffing but also goes back to Christian principles.

< p>Mr Stab told the Financial Times that religious groups had not expressed concern about the robo-store opening, saying: «In one case, the Catholic Church is even our landlord and the pastor has never expressed any concern.»

However, some religious groups are seeking to maintain Sunday rest laws, including the KWA, which is part of the German Protestant Church. It says to the Financial Times: «Our society needs a special day of the week, with its own characteristics, to celebrate Christian spirituality and share the experience with friends and family.»

Other restrictions in Germany apply to store opening hours. have been repealed over the past 30 years, including laws requiring stores to close at 6:30 pm on weekdays.

Sunday rules in Germany are stricter than those in England and Wales, where small shops are allowed to stay open all day on Sunday. Larger stores are limited to six consecutive hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Trade restrictions do not apply to airport and railway stores, pharmacies and service points.

The government planned to deregulate Sunday trading hours in 2020. However, it rejected the proposals after Conservative MPs said they would vote against it.

Recently, a think tank backed by Leveling Up Secretary Michael Gove put forward a proposal that Sunday trading laws should be scrapped during major floods.

In 2022, Bright Blue said it could help “ensure that food, cleaning supplies and replacement personal items are available to those who need them.”

The think tank said that any relaxation will need to be «well defined and clearly temporary».

It comes as the UK has been hit by more erratic weather, with the period from July to December last year being the wettest on record.< /p>