Germany’s highest court has ruled in favour of upholding restrictions on shop opening hours despite objections from one major retailer.

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The Federal Constitutional Court ruled that preventing shops from opening on Sundays and public holidays was constitutional, rejecting a complaint from department store chain Kaufhof, a unit of German retail giant Metro, reported Dow Jones News.


Stores in Germany have to close by 8pm on Saturday and stay shut all day Sunday.


Kaufhof had complained that the rules offer an unfair advantage to retail outlets at stations, airports and petrol stations, which are exempt from the rules.

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