# Spanish Supermarkets trading on Xmas Sunday's 24th & 31st Dec



## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

No doubt eagle eyed Expats would have been surprised by the number of Spanish
supermarket chains trading on Sunday - although no doubt this might not be the
same in all Spanish regions.

Here in Asturias - we had the Eroski / Familia stores as well as Supercor and Alimerka
open on both Sunday's on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Maybe even Mercadona
as well but I would have had to go out of my way to confirm whether any of the
Mercadona stores were open on these two Sundays.
Of course I often wonder why I bothered stocking up with food on the Saturday before
these two Sunday's but as usual I assumed all shops ( including the Supermarkets )
will be closed on Sunday and Monday.

For those of you who remember B&Q and the DIY stores breaking the Sunday Trading
laws in the UK back in the early 1990's, much was made of the Sunday Trading Laws
back then, arousing much public and parliamentary debate.

With Spain being a catholic country - you would have thought all Sundays are sacrosanct !!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Williams2 said:


> No doubt eagle eyed Expats would have been surprised by the number of Spanish
> supermarket chains trading on Sunday - although no doubt this might not be the
> same in all Spanish regions.
> 
> ...


Mercadona here was definitely open on Christmas Eve (as were all the other supermarkets, and notices were displayed for at least a couple of weeks beforehand to advise that they would be - not sure about today but a lot of smaller shops in our town,not just those selling food, were certainly open today).

I thought supermarkets could not close for two consecutive days and that is why they have been open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as neither of those days are official public holidays in Spain?


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Mercadona here was definitely open on Christmas Eve (as were all the other supermarkets, and notices were displayed for at least a couple of weeks beforehand to advise that they would be - not sure about today but a lot of smaller shops in our town,not just those selling food, were certainly open today).
> 
> I thought supermarkets could not close for two consecutive days and that is why they have been open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as neither of those days are official public holidays in Spain?


H'm that's interesting nevertheless do any Spanish trading laws ( no doubt backed by the Catholic Church )
grant the usual protections to those workers who refuse to work on Sundays because of religious
belief or observance ?


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

Eroski, now taken over by Carrefour, regularly opens for Sunday evening trade in the Murcia region. Many other non-food shops are open too e.g. phone and clothes shops.
My understanding, obtained long ago I admit, is that Sunday shopping has been most legislated against by the Protestant, puritanical countries e.g. UK and Germany rather than those which fell under a Catholic influence. The Catholic influenced countries taking the attitude that "fresh is best" and when church and lunch are over go out and have fun.


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## Claudine M. (Aug 30, 2016)

Here in province Avila all of the chain supermarkets were open for at least a few hours either Sunday or Mondays. We have a large Moroccan and Turkish population here and all of their stores and bars were open full hours on all of those days. The Inquisition seems unthinkable in modern consumeristic spain.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

24 and 31 Dec are not public holidays. Of course the shops will open, with everyone buying last minute stuff for the big family meals which take place on both those evenings. But they will close early, for the same reason.

25 Dec and 1 Jan are public holidays and only small shops selling fresh bread etc can open.

The trading laws are as much due to pressure from the unions as from the Catholic church. They are being relaxed gradually; I think the supermarket chains in Andalucia are allowed to open on eight Sundays/public holidays per year.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

ccm47 said:


> Eroski, now taken over by Carrefour, regularly opens for Sunday evening trade in the Murcia region. Many other non-food shops are open too e.g. phone and clothes shops.
> My understanding, obtained long ago I admit, is that Sunday shopping has been most legislated against by the Protestant, puritanical countries e.g. UK and Germany rather than those which fell under a Catholic influence. The Catholic influenced countries taking the attitude that "fresh is best" and when church and lunch are over go out and have fun.


I didn't know Eroski had been taken over by Carrefour. What a shame.

Interesting theory about the link between religion and fresh food! I think the Outer Hebrides and parts of Wales are the only parts of the UK which still ban trading on Sundays?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> I didn't know Eroski had been taken over by Carrefour. What a shame.


They haven't been taken over altogether, Eroski sold off some of their stores to Carrefour. The one nearest me in our Centro Comercial was supposedly to be one of them, but the sale hasn't gone ahead.

With regard to Sunday opening, as far as Andalucia is concerned this is regulated by the Junta de Andalucia (so I assume it is the same for other autonomous regions, and the regional Government will be in control of it). 

Aprobado el calendario de apertura en festivos y domingos para 2017


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

ccm47 said:


> Eroski, now taken over by Carrefour, regularly opens for Sunday evening trade in the Murcia region. Many other non-food shops are open too e.g. phone and clothes shops.
> *My understanding, obtained long ago I admit, is that Sunday shopping has been most legislated against by the Protestant, puritanical countries e.g. UK and Germany rather than those which fell under a Catholic influence*. The Catholic influenced countries taking the attitude that "fresh is best" and when church and lunch are over go out and have fun.


*Henry VIII has a lot to answer for !!*

Of course I blame Henry VIII for starting all this - if it wasn't for him breaking with the Church of
Rome because the Pope didn't see his point of view in; annulling his marriage to Catherine of Aragon - 
once he'd taken a fancy to one of his Ladies in Waiting, Anne Boleyn then the UK wouldn't have got
into such a Protestant, puritanical pickle in the first place !!!

Just think if Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon had borne him, his hearts desire - a male heir
( instead of a daughter ) to continue the Tudor dynasty - then maybe Henry & Catherine would
have continued to live happily ever after - with no break with the Church of Rome, no Church 
of England and no prospect of England or even Scotland joining the Protestant Reformation.

Which would mean no Queen Elizabeth I, no Spanish Armada, no English Civil War and with it the
puritanical Oliver Cromwell. All due to the catholic Tudor dynasty and even the Stuart dynasty,
living in peace with their Catholic subjects because England and the UK would have never joined
The Reformation.

Which would mean that the UK would be enjoying more bank holidays in the 20th and right through
into the 21st century ( like we do here in Spain ) Sundays would still be special in the UK; with B&Q
being given 'a flea in it's ear' for daring to trade regularly on a Sunday which brings me nicely
back to the subject of this thread.

Of course for the Remainers on this forum - if the UK had remained a catholic country, there would
have been no Wars of Religion between England and her catholic neighbours, so the UK would
have had far more common interest with the rest of Europe, upon joining the EU and the British
Referendum over whether the UK should remain in the EU would have returned a resounding
YES for Britain to continue remaining in the EU. So - No Brexit !!

Therefore on the final analysis - Henry VIII has a lot to answer for - in breaking with the Church
of Rome and establishing the Protestant Church of England instead with himself as head of the
newly established Church of England and ( of course ) expecting his catholic subjects to follow
suit and convert to the protestant Church of England.

Of course with Henry as head of his very own Church of England - their was no need for him
to go through any of the religious or legal niceties of getting divorces of any other Ladies in
Waiting he might marry and make Queen of England, in the hope of them bearing a male heir
for the Tudor dynasty.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I think the church has little to do with trading laws in Spain. They can voice an opinion just as much as Jose Publico can, but it is local councils that decide when shops can open.
It also has to be remembered that shopping for Christmas goes on for much longer in Spain than in the UK as the big present day is still Reyes on the 6th of January. Many families now celebrate Christmas Eve or Day with presents too, but Reyes is The Big Day so supermarkets and all other shops will be open as many days as possible before those dates and then after for the sales.
Also, as we are talking about Spain we're talking about huge family meals on the evening of 24th, lunch 25th, evening 31st, lunch 1st, lunch 6th so supermarkets and food shops are making a killing too!
It does depend on where you are though. Sunday opening is not common in the city of Bilbao for example although one year when Reyes was on a Monday shops were open on the Sunday for a limited time.
Here in the UK we have 2 newsagents type shops with food and drink too at 5 mins from the house - both have been open everyday and there is also a garage with food and drink on sale so the days of everything being closed over Christmas and New Year are officially over.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Remember British athlete Jonathan Edwards, he refused to work or compete in Athletic events on a Sunday
because of his religious beliefs and convictions when he was a competitive athlete.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> Mercadona here was definitely open on Christmas Eve (as were all the other supermarkets, and notices were displayed for at least a couple of weeks beforehand to advise that they would be - not sure about today but a lot of smaller shops in our town,not just those selling food, were certainly open today).
> 
> I thought supermarkets could not close for two consecutive days and that is why they have been open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as neither of those days are official public holidays in Spain?


I think you might be right with that as Mercadona was open here on 24th/31st but only a token 9-3 whereas they have never opened before in all the years I've lived here. Coastal ones have a different set of rules & are allowed to open 7 days if they want . To do with tourism.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

gus-lopez said:


> I think you might be right with that as Mercadona was open here on 24th/31st but only a token 9-3 whereas they have never opened before in all the years I've lived here. Coastal ones have a different set of rules & are allowed to open 7 days if they want . To do with tourism.


Although I'm not so sure about that now, as there was a notice up in Mercadona yesterday saying they would be closed on Saturday 6th January (for Los Reyes) but no indication that they would be open (albiet with reduced hours) on the Sunday. We'll stock up on Friday just in case!


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Williams2 said:


> Remember British athlete Jonathan Edwards, he refused to work or compete in Athletic events on a Sunday
> because of his religious beliefs and convictions when he was a competitive athlete.


...when he was a Christian too. He is now an atheist.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Lynn R said:


> I thought supermarkets could not close for two consecutive days and that is why they have been open on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as neither of those days are official public holidays in Spain?


I think the focus here is perhaps not quite right. As far as I can make out it's not that the supermarkets are _obliged _to stay open or two consecutive days, it's that they are not obliged to close for three or more... What is meant by that is that the supermarkets want to open as many days as possible, at least the big ones and those in larger populations, so if there is a case of a national holiday followed by a Sunday followed by a local holiday for example, they are _permitted _to open on one of those days.
There are some smaller supermarkets like UNIDE (Unión Detallistas Españoles. Empresa cooperativa de alimentación) which are smaller operations and are possibly still family businesses which may not want to, or be able to open all the days a bigger concern will.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

I wonder what Mary's views are on Sunday trading in the UK & Spain ( good, bad or indifferent from the
workers point of view ) bearing in mind her involvement with trade unions in the past ?


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Just a heads up on another Sunday trading warning, this time on the day after Epiphany which falls on Saturday 6th January
this year.
Although I cannot speak for other regions, I can confirm that the major supermarkets here in Asturias will be opening 
their doors on Sunday.

:ranger:


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## Claudine M. (Aug 30, 2016)

*A Thanks*

This is one of the most well informed and helpful threads I've seen on XPF!

:yo:


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## JimmyLocksDad (Nov 2, 2017)

In the Malaga Region *ALL* Mercadona Stores are closed on both Sat 6th and Sunday 7th probably similar throughout Spain


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## Poloss (Feb 2, 2017)

Only Merca China and similar were trading on 25/12 and 01/01.
Business is business...


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