Retail associations in Slovakia can’t agree among each other whether in the wake of the coronavirus disaster Sunday trading should be allowed. The Slovak Association of Stores (Zväz obchodu) has come out in favor of closing stores one day per week, but the rival group SAMO (the Slovak Alliance of Modern Retail) has been unable to produce a unified position, as opinions within the grouping differ. As it happens, neither can the coalition government that now rules the country. Prime Minister Igor Matovič and Milan Krajniak have both come out in favor of a day of rest, but the country’s Minister of Economics is pushing for stores to remain open throughout the week. The Slovak Association of Stores president Martin Katriak argues that Sunday closings are standard practice in EU countries and that grocery stores make just 2 to 4 percent of their weekly turnover then, or as much as 15 percent for non-food stores.
