Hoogeveen wants to extend the shopping hours for bakers, butchers, supermarkets and poulterers on Sundays indefinitely. The municipality is doing this in response to a request made by the city council last year.
Because of corona, shops were allowed to open longer at certain times on Sunday. Precisely to spread people better and prevent problems. After the worst periods of the pandemic, that policy was continued. As a precaution, so that the virus would no longer spread quickly. The extension of the times will run until July 1, after which the old times will in principle apply again.
Unless that changes. Last year, various political groups asked whether the municipality could not investigate whether the extension could be made permanent. They also received these signals from various entrepreneurs in Hoogeveen. The parties filed two motions with the request. The municipality is now coming up with a proposal to permanently adjust the times.
The current agreements for shopping hours in Hoogeveen date from 2013. Hoogeveen now proposes to adjust this policy. Bakers, butchers, supermarkets and poulterers are allowed to open from one to five on Sunday. During the pandemic, they were also allowed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The proposal is now to definitively grant that extension. From a practical point of view, it will soon be possible for the shops to be open all day.
There is also the wish to adjust the opening hours for the holidays. On Easter, Pentecost and Christmas days, it is the wish that they can be open all day. The same goes for New Year’s Day. On Good Friday, the intention is that the shops will be allowed to open in the evening. In addition, opening options for shops during the Ramadan celebration are being looked into.
During the investigation, Hoogeveen made inquiries with various business associations, butchers, supermarkets, bakers, cheese and greengrocers. One butcher does not like the adjustment, the rest of the group is in favor of changing the times or has not responded. A recent telephone random check with the parties once again showed that the entrepreneurs are in favour.
The municipality has concluded a number of different things after the investigation. “In recent years, the municipalities surrounding us have decided to extend the possible opening hours for retail and retail. This means that the playing field for our entrepreneurs is not equal to that of the various neighboring municipalities,” can be read in the proposal.
Inquiries with entrepreneurs indicate that there is a need for longer shopping hours, says Hoogeveen. “We see that extra space for opening up can contribute to an attractive center, also in the larger centers of the municipality.” An additional advantage could be that the catering industry can also benefit from more activity as a result of the extended times, the council thinks.
A number of parties in the council did not agree with the motions last year. Members of the SGP, CDA and ChristenUnie, among others, voted against. “We have a different vision on Sundays,” said party chairman Hetty Pullen of the ChristenUnie at the time.
The plans are still being presented to the council. The parties will soon have to decide whether the proposal will go ahead.