According to the Public Holidays Act, shops must mainly be closed on Sundays. But there are exceptions: municipalities can apply to the State Administrator that places can be counted as a typical tourist spot. In that case, the shops there can stay open on Sundays. “Typical tourist resort can only be considered an area where the sales in the relevant periods mainly take place to tourists”, the law states. A survey carried out by HK-nytt shows that there are now a total of 119 municipalities that have shops open on Sundays in one or more places. The union believes the whole thing is a sneaky introduction of a seven-day working week. – This is slippage of Sunday as the different day. We want to warn against this development in the strongest possible terms, says the union leader to news. Confederation leader in Trade and Office, Christopher Beckham, believes that there are too many places that are given the status of typical tourist spots. Photo: Ilja C. Hendel / © Ilja C. Hendel Local politicians gave the green light In Larvik, locals shake their heads when we ask if Skreppestad, Øya and Gloppe are typical tourist spots. Nevertheless, the shops there remain open on Sundays all year round with the municipality’s blessing. This despite the fact that the municipal director advised the politicians to reject the applications from the shops in Skreppestad and Øya. A majority with the Conservative Party, the Progressive Party, the Liberal Party and Better Larvik, nevertheless chose to give the green light for Sunday opening. The approval took place without involving the State Administrator, even though the municipal director believed that it was necessary. Meny Øya wrote in his application that, in the sense of the law, it is not possible to claim that Øya is located in any other area than Gloppe. This despite the fact that Lågen separates the two stores, which were previously located in separate municipalities. Photo: Theo Aasland Valen / news One of the local politicians who voted for open on Sundays was Høyre’s Sven Marius Utklev Gjeruldsen-Halle. He tells news that it was natural because of the short distance to Gloppe, which had previously been approved by the State Administrator as a typical tourist destination. – In addition, one of Norway’s largest tourist flows passes the shops on Øya, because we have the ferry to Hirtshals. There is an enormous number of tourists who pass these shops every single day, says Gjeruldsen-Halle. Many tourists drive past Øya in Larvik on their way to or from the harbor facility at Revet in Larvik, where Superspeed has traffic to Denmark. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news Never seen a cabin there When news visited the Sunday-open shops on a Sunday in October, there was a clear preponderance of local people shopping there. But who can really best answer whether these places are perceived as typical tourist spots? We take a call to Vestfold’s most profiled and experienced cabin broker, Tore Solberg, who has sold cabins in Vestfold for 40 years. Tore Solberg is a real estate agent in Eiendomsmegler 1 in Sandefjord. He has extensive experience with the cottage market for tourists in Vestfold. Photo: Henrik Bøe / news He is not aware of tourists having lived at Skreppestad, Øya or Gloppe. Neither in summer nor in winter. – It is primarily in Helgeroa, Nevlunghavn and Stavern that we sell cabins to tourists in Larvik. And at Gon, Viksfjord, Kjerringvik and Ula. – But there are probably quite a few tourists who drive by and shop at these places in the summer, on their way to Gon or Viksfjord, he adds. – Is it then natural to call Skreppestad, Øya and Gloppe typical tourist places? – No. It’s just nonsense, says Solberg. Fears increased pressure after the election Trade and Office have already been in contact with the government to stop what they call an erosion of the regulations. Earlier this week, the government announced that they will re-examine the rules for shops open on Sundays. After this autumn’s election gave a blue majority in several municipalities, Handel og Kontor fears a large increase in the number of applications. – This is a social development we fear. Those who work on the concrete, the ladies and men who work in the shops, do not want to be open on Sundays. I think we have to listen to that, says the union leader. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) reacts to the fact that as many as one in three municipalities have shops open on Sundays. – There is far too much variation and discretion today, says Toppe to Fri Fagbevegelse. Handel og Kontor has had talks about shops open on Sunday with Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp). Photo: NTB Kommunikasjon/Prime Minister’s office Rødt has already submitted a proposal to the Storting asking the government to tighten the rules. Venstre has announced that during the autumn they will submit a proposal to the contrary. Asking the municipality for an explanation The State Administrator in Vestfold and Telemark is now considering what to do with the shops that are open on Sundays in Skreppestad and Øya in Larvik. Department manager Anna Karin Hauge says that it is the wrong body that has approved that these places should be a typical tourist spot. – As long as they are open now, it is an offence, she says. – The shops have been open on Sundays for several years. Why haven’t you done anything until now? – It is only now that we have received tips about it, replies Hauge. The subject manager has asked Larvik municipality for an explanation. – We will have to decide what to do next based on that answer. This is what the Sunday-open shops answer: Rema 100 in Skreppestad: Shopkeeper Chris Hammerkvist is surprised that the question comes up more than a thousand days after it became open on Sundays in Skreppestad. He denies that the store is breaking the law and says they follow the municipality’s rules. – My argument has not changed in the three years. We reacted when Meny Gloppe was allowed to open on Sundays and it’s about having equal competition conditions. The arguments are that we serve the same surrounding area and the same tourists as Meny Gloppe. – How were the reactions at the time? – We received a lot of sympathy and understanding from the population of Larvik. There was one word that kept coming up and that was injustice, says Hammerkvist. Meny på Øya: General manager Øyvind Polsrød says that they have followed the municipal rules and adhere to them. He does not wish to make further comments. Rema 1000 on Øya: Do not wish to comment further on the matter. news has spoken to several shops in the same area that are not allowed to stay open on Sundays. They call the situation distorting competition. Hi! Do you have any tips or input on this issue or other things we should write about? 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– It’s just nonsense – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
