M&S boss Rowe calls for extended Sunday trading before Christmas

Rowe said the retailer, which recorded its first pre-tax loss in its interim results today, is “lobbying quite hard with the rest of the industry for the extension and deregulation of some Sunday hours, particularly as we get closer to Christmas”.

The retailer has reportedly already extended trading hours in its grocery division but the business hopes this will be extended across its estate, including its clothing and homeware division, in the final weeks of Christmas trading.

Rowe said this would help avoid bottlenecks in demand and shopper numbers, for customers and staff alike, in the run-up to Christmas.

“Sunday trading should be deregulated so it is a normal trading day. This is really important both through December and beyond, in my opinion,” Rowe said.

Marks & Spencer’s call for extended trading hours ahead of Christmas echoes those made by Primark chiefs earlier this week.

The fashion retailer’s finance director John Bason told Retail Week: “We’d look for longer opening hours. There will be big demand. It’s busy enough at Christmas in normal times, never mind now. It’s not about creating crowds, it’s about managing and spreading demand.”

During lockdown, Rowe was optimistic that Marks & Spencer would partially offset a fall in its clothing and homeware sales by allowing shoppers to use click and collect across all its ranges. Shoppers are able to pick up orders from M&S food halls, which will remain open throughout lockdown.

During the retailer’s first quarter, which coincided with the first lockdown earlier this year, clothing and homeware sales slumped 61.5% – a fall that levelled off to 21.3% in the second quarter when shops reopened.