PREFACE

General object of the Shop Hours' Survey

This survey was carried out at the request of a Home Office Committee. The Committee was appointed by the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Scotland in January 1946. It was directed “ to enquire into the provisions of the Shops Acts relating to closing(general or local) and to report as soon as possible whether any alterations are desirable”. The Committee had also to go on and consider, health, welfare, and safety in place of employment not covered by the Factories, Mines or Quarries Acts and to enquire into the hours of employment of young persons.

Evidence presented to the Committee on shop closing hours was of three types. The Committee interviewed representatives of employers and employees who worked in the distributive trade, they interviewed local and central government officials who were responsible for the administration of the of the Shop Acts and they took evidence from some voluntary organisations who included members of the shopping public. However, a modern community is not a completely organised structure and there are no organisations that are completely representative of all sections. It was, therefore, felt that in order to understand the reactions of the consumer to shop closing hours it would be necessary to carry out a survey of a representative sample of the population. The information obtained considered with the three other types of evidence mentioned would enable the Committee to take full account existing needs and habits in re-planning shop closing legislation.

The findings of the Home Office Committee were set out in Cmd. Paper 7105- The Closing hours of Shops.