'People don't go to church - they shop' Fifteen years of Sunday trading.

Byline: Lisa Jones

TOMORROW families will be visiting the supermarket or garden centre - all thanks to a 15-year-old law.

The Sunday Trading Act 1994 allowed smaller shops to open, but restricted the opening time of larger stores to a maximum of six hours between 10am and 6pm. Those who did not want to work on a Sunday were also protected from sanction by their employers and some got enhanced payments.

The move was a controversial one, Keep Sunday Special had led a campaign against deregulation, arguing that Sunday should be maintained as a day of rest.

Now, Sunday shopping has become a major leisure pursuit for families, with some more likely to visit their local supermarket than their local church.

Robin Croft, consumer behaviour expert at the University of Glamorgan, said: "People don't go to church any more, they go the garden centre. It's very much a leisure activity. When you get bored you go to the shopping centre. It's part of the process to put shopping at the heart of our culture."

During the period since Sunday trading was introduced Cardiff's city centre has been transformed. City centre manager Paul Williams said the idea of Sunday shopping is now a part of the national psyche.

He said: "Things have changed dramatically over the years, from a handful of retailers opening at its inception to a critical mass of retailers all positioned to maximise the Sunday opportunity."

But John Hannett, Usdaw General Secretary, said shop workers had lost out as Sunday is increasingly being treated as a normal working day by employers, with enhanced pay being eroded and pressure applied to people to work.

He said: "Although there are protections in law, there can be many more subtle workplace pressures, like feeling the need to help out by working on a Sunday, especially if everyone else is doing it. Sundays are still seen by many as a time for families, religious observance or simply a day when they can slow down and recharge their batteries."

Peter Lynas from Keep Sunday Special said: "Polling by NOP shows that 70% of people think Sunday should be different from the rest of the week and 81% think that protecting Sunday as a family day is a good idea.

"Three-quarters of people say they would rather be assured of one day a week to spend with family and friends than to have extra hours to shop on Sunday. It is also about having time for family, friends and community. Kids are off school on a Saturday and Sunday, so it makes sense for most parents to be off at weekends. It also makes sense for couples and other family members to have the same day off so they can spend their rest time together.

"Culturally, Sunday has always provided the ideal day to do this."

EXTENDED OPENING HOURS FOR CARDIFF CARDIFF'S trading hours look set to expand during the week if bosses at the new pounds 675m St David's shopping centre get their way.

All the retailers within St David's - which incorporates the current shopping centre and St David's 2 on The Hayes - will open until 8pm from October 22, when the new mall opens its doors.

But centre managers are trying to encourage as many of the other retailers in the city as possible to open their doors.

From the stores canvassed by the Echo, it appears a waiting game is on to see if it is commercially viable.

For example, the House of Fraser store in the capital plans to open for an extra hour until 7pm on Wednesdays and Fridays, from October 22. Moss Bros, on The Hayes, said if other stores extended their opening hours it would follow suit and Hawkes Essentials, a menswear shop in Morgan Arcade, had no intention of extending its hours.

CAPTION(S):

Since the law changed in 1994, Sunday has become a popular day for people to do their shopping. Many, however, aren't happy that workers are forced to work on the 'rest day'