The Sunday trading ban, in effect since March 2018, has benefited e-commerce.

According to PayU data published in “Rzeczpospolita,” after the trading ban was introduced, 10 and 14 percent more online transactions were recorded on the second and third Sundays of March compared to the same days in February. Year-on-year, comparing data from these two Sundays with their March 2017 counterparts shows a 20 and 25 percent increase in sales, respectively.

Who stands to lose the most from the Sunday trading ban? According to “Rzeczpospolita,” the main losers are stores frequented by foreigners, who primarily shop in Poland on weekends – they spent PLN 41.5 billion on these stores in 2017. Foreigners most frequently purchased construction and finishing materials (24 percent), household appliances and consumer electronics (20 percent), transportation parts and accessories (13 percent), and food and beverages (12 percent). According to the Central Statistical Office, the main consumers of Polish goods are Germans, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Belarusians, and Lithuanians.

From March until the end of 2018, two Sundays a month are closed for shopping (trading is only permitted on the first and last Sundays of the month). Next year, shopping will be permitted only on one Sunday a month, while from 2020, all Sundays will be closed for shopping. Exceptions include shops staffed by entrepreneurs, as well as post offices, food outlets, gas stations, flower shops, and shops at train stations and airports.