// Morrisons scraps Sunday browsing hour so NHS staff can begin buying products from 9am
// This means Morrisons now trades for longer than the 6 hours stipulated in Sunday trading laws
// The Sunday shopping hour for NHS workers is in addition to the 6am-7am slot Monday to Saturday
Morrisons has reportedly abolished its Sunday browsing hour to allow NHS staff to buy products from 9am, making the retailer defy Sunday trading laws.
According to The Grocer, Morrisons has started opening its stores in England and Wales for longer than the six hours stipulated in Sunday trading legislation, in a bid to support NHS workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes after the Big 4 supermarket launched an NHS shopping hour across its stores, which takes place 6am to 7am Monday to Saturday.
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On Sundays, the browsing hour from 9am was scrapped so NHS staff can shop and purchase items from then instead, while other customers will be able to shop as normal from 9.30am.
The current law states that stores over 3000sq ft can only open for six hours between 10am and 6pm.
“The NHS staff are doing a wonderful job in challenging circumstances,” a Morrisons spokesman told The Grocer.
“We are offering them an extra hour because they may have a very narrow window of time to do their shopping.”
The news comes after several retailers, including Morrisons, reportedly lobbied the government to suspend trading restrictions so shoppers have more time to buy what they needed.
However, many grocers have actually reduced hours in order to get shelves replenished and provide a respite for staff as they faced unprecedented demand during the lockdown.
Morrisons is also providing NHS workers a 10 per cent discount until until July 12 and has launched a click-and-collect food box service from hospital car parks.
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