Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004
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The Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that prevents shops over 280 m²/3,000 sq ft from opening on Christmas Day. The Act only applies in England and Wales. Shops smaller than the limit are not affected.
The Act was introduced to the House of Commons by Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham as a Private Member's Bill on 7 January 2004. The Act was passed by both the Commons and the House of Lords, and received Royal Assent on 28 October, coming into force on 9 December 2004.
The aim of the Act was to keep Christmas Day a "special" day, whereby all major retailers would be closed. Although it was traditional for major retailers to close on 25 December, some retailers, such as Woolworths began to open some stores in the late 1990s. Both religious groups and shop worker unions were against the idea of Christmas openings, leading to pressure on the Government to pass legislation to prevent the practice.
In 2006, the Scottish Parliament debated a similar law that would apply to shops in Scotland. A key difference was the proposal for the Scottish law to apply on New Year's Day too.
