Retail Opening Hours: How 8 Independent Shops Decide When to Open

What are the right opening hours for your shop, and what should you actually be using to make that decision? Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly. This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Capify - business funding made simple. Find out more at capify.com Earlier this year I visited Jedburgh and Kelso in the Scottish Borders for my A to Z of independent retail, and I made a very London-centric mistake. I went on a Sunday. The cafes were open, the chains were open, and between the two towns I found exactly one independent shop open. When I shared it on Instagram, it started one of the liveliest conversations I've had all year. Should independent shops open on Sundays? Is it worth opening if the footfall isn't there? Do customers now expect you to be open seven days a week? So rather than tell you what I think, I asked eight independent shopkeepers how they actually decide their opening hours, and their answers couldn't be more different. One owner cut her week from six days to four and saw her sales go up. Another went to seven days a week and has just moved into bigger premises. One closes on Mondays because the whole village does. Another stays open on the afternoon her neighbours shut. You'll hear all of them in their own words, from Peckham to Pembrokeshire and Bantry to Lyme Regis. By the end of the episode you'll know what to weigh up before you change your hours, why one quiet Tuesday tells you far less than you think, and the one thing all eight shopkeepers agreed on, whatever days they choose to open. If you've ever stood in an empty shop wondering whether it was worth unlocking the door today, or you're deciding what to do over Christmas, this one's for you. Chapters 00:00 Why I found just one independent shop open on a Sunday 01:51 Consistency, the rhythm of your town and trial and error 06:24 Who covers the hours, and what the numbers actually say 10:26 When the decision goes beyond the numbers Resources and links Free Christmas guide and week-by-week planner: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/christmas Episode 321, Retail Christmas Forecast: What the Summer Numbers Really Tell Us: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast-episode/uk-retail-sales-summer-2026/ Tell me your opening hours on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resilientretailclub/ All episodes of the Resilient Retail Game Plan: https://www.resilientretailclub.com/podcast/ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherineerdly Mentioned in this episode: Capify