24-hour shopping a possibility for Hamilton
http://www.thespec.com/news/business...y-for-hamilton
Hamilton shopping will get a lot more convenient if the city repeals the store hours bylaw that restricts retailers from staying open around the clock.
The city is reviewing its current bylaw, with a public meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
Hamilton shoppers have to drive only as far as Burlington or Grimsby for late night (or middle of the night) shopping at big box stores. Shoppers don’t want to wait until morning, and Hamilton stores have been losing business, says Lynn Page, executive director of the Concession Street BIA.
A 3 a.m. grocery run might sound ridiculous to many, but such are the times, she says. “There are people that work shifts and can’t shop during ‘normal hours,’” she said. “It seems crazy, but I remember when I worked shifts having to shop at 3 a.m.”
“You can be in Burlington, in Grimsby, to the super centres quite quickly. We’re losing business to them.”
Hamilton and Sudbury are the only two cities in Ontario that still hold such a bylaw. Most others are regulated solely by the province’s Retail Business Holiday Act.
Repeal of the bylaw was last proposed in Hamilton in 2006, but was rejected by city council. Retailers are divided.
The Ottawa Street BIA says the law is outdated, archaic.
“It’s not just a small business issue, it’s a big business issue. It’s about jobs,” executive director Patty Despinic said. “We can’t hold on to these old bylaws, they had a time and a place, but we have an obligation to revisit them as the world changes.
The current bylaw says stores can’t be open before 5 a.m. or after 9 p.m., but there are a number of exceptions — such as grocery, pharmacy and convenience stores — that are open later. Some are open 24 hours.
East Hamilton Radio is an independent business that has long been competing with the big box names. General manager Robert Bragdon thinks the 24-hour trend is getting ridiculous and a seven-day week is enough.
“I don’t think it’s going to help the economy if that’s what they’re thinking. I don’t think it works that way,” he said. “The amount of hours retail is open now gives the customer plenty of time and options to do their shopping.”
A public information meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21 at 7 p.m. at the Hamilton Convention Centre. In the event of a city workers strike, the meeting will be rescheduled.
The bylaw says …
• Stores cannot be open before 5 a.m. or later than 9 p.m.
• Exceptions include convenience, pharmacy and grocery stores.
• Under the provincial Retail Business Holiday Act, stores must close on public holidays, including New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Easter.
Prev
Linear Mode
