SA shop trading hours: South Australians want shops open longer, UniSA study shows

SOUTH Australians overwhelmingly want the shops to stay open longer on weekends, according to a University of South Australia study.

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SOUTH Australians overwhelmingly want the shops to stay open longer on weekends, according to a University of South Australia study.

The study, conducted by UniSA’s Institute for Choice and commissioned by Business SA, found 73.6 per cent of the 572 people surveyed supported changes to South Australia’s existing shop trading hours.

It found 68 per cent of people wanted to shop at a full-sized supermarket before 11am on a Sunday, with 62 per cent wanting to shop at a full-sized supermarket after 5pm on Saturday and Sundays.

Exactly three-quarters of respondents believed an increase in shop trading hours would be positive for the South Australian economy.

Currently supermarkets with more than 400sqm of retail space in metropolitan Adelaide and the CBD are limited to trading until 5pm on Saturdays, and between 11am and 5pm on Sundays.

Business SA executive director Anthony Penney said the people had spoken on SA’s “medieval” trading hours.

“South Australia’s shop trading hours are archaic. They need to be brought into the 21st century,” Mr Penney said.

“We know that other jurisdictions that have deregulated shop trading hours have seen an increase in the number of small retailers, retail turnover and jobs and employment.”

The Liberal Party has pledged to deregulate shop trading hours if it is elected at next weekend’s election.

Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association assistant state secretary Josh Peak said every survey the union had conducted showed people supported keeping the current mix.

“We think we’ve got the balance right. (Opposition Leader) Steven Marshall’s plan only benefits the big end of town,” he said.

The SDA on Thursday launched a series of advertisements criticising the Liberals’ deregulation plan.

Mr Marshall said the people of SA wanted choice,

“The only party which is offering choice in terms of shop trading hours is the Liberal Party,” he said.

“Labor are under the thumbs of the SDA, the trade union movement here in SA.

The Liberal Party want shops to open because we know that this will create more jobs and keep more young people here in SA.”