Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday, March 28, that the stores will not be closed on weekends, as proposed by small-format retailers.

“I want to close a topic that has triggered public debate: the one related to operating hours and closing stores on weekends. From all the signals received from society, it is clear that it is not appropriate for shops to be closed on the weekend,” the PM said at the beginning of the government meeting, quoted by G4media.ro.

Small shop owners proposed closing supermarkets on the weekend, and prime minister Ciolacu said the idea would be analyzed. 

A few days ago, the small retailers agreed that large stores could not be closed completely on the weekend and proposed short operating hours instead, according to G4media.ro. They said that all employees need time off for themselves, and the small stores cannot afford to hire extra personnel to cover the weekend properly.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)