Bangladesh to extend shopping hours to 10 pm from Jul 1 ahead of Eid

The government will allow shops and malls to stay open until 10 pm from Jul 1 to Jul 10 in the lead-up to Eid-ul-Azha.

Shops had earlier been ordered to shut at 8 pm but the closing time will be extended by two hours as part of a special arrangement for Eid, the Ministry of Labour and Employment said in a notice on Wednesday.

The decision to close shopping malls, stores, kitchen markets and other places of trading at 8 pm every day had been taken in an effort to save power and fuel amid rising energy prices worldwide.

The order was issued on the prime minister's instructions and came into effect on Jun 22. It enforces section 114 of the Labour Act which stipulates that all shops must be closed by 8 pm, according to Monnujan Sufian, state minister for labour and employment.

The decision was accepted by business leaders, including the Association of Shop Owners and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, she said on Jun 19.

The law also empowers the government to alter the closing hours of shops in special circumstances.

And in response to traders' calls to extend business hours to 10 pm during the busy Eid period, the government has decided to make an exception.

However, the 8 pm closing time will be back in effect after Jul 10, according to the notice.