Marx & Spencer It will keep 400 stores open until midnight on Christmas week, as most street retailers will recoup billions of pounds lost in sales due to locking restrictions.

The UK’s largest clothing retailer has said its “longest” store opening time will begin on Saturday, December 21. Two-thirds of its 600 stores will run for three days until midnight. Unlike many of its rival M&S stores, it is currently open, although government regulations force it to close its separate clothing floors.

Last year the M&S stores were open until 15 midnight. The three midnight shopping days are expected to be the biggest selling days of the year, with the move described as “extra time to grab groceries and final gifts”.

Current locking restrictions have forced non-essential shops to close in the UK and in parts of Scotland from Friday evening. These restrictions come at a crucial time of the year for retailers as shoppers typically spend about $ 50 billion on items other than food in the two months leading up to Christmas.

According to the British Retail Association, during the spring lockout, stores lost 6 1.6 billion sales per week, but the significance of the festive season is that this figure is currently estimated at $ 2 billion per week.

Budget chain Primark It says its 153 English stores will lose $ 375 million in sales in a month’s close. The shutdown is especially disastrous for the retailer because it does not sell online. However, it thinks 24 hour trading Possible in some places in December.

Primark, in common with other retailers and business owners, is urging the government to relax trade laws next Sunday. Steven Medway, space manager for Cadagon, a London property company that allows 250 shops, restaurants and liquor stores in the capital, said retailers should “allow long weekend and Sunday trading hours at this crucial time of the year.”

With the need for anticipated bent-up demand and the need to pursue community distance action, Medway said “it is important to avoid congestion so that both retailers and visiting customers can enjoy a safe and enjoyable festive shopping environment.”

The window will be small for businesses to catch sales. Stores will not reopen in the UK until December 3, and then on December 11 – fifteen days before Christmas – subject to strict restrictions in some parts of Scotland.

Late nights are its longest start time, according to Sacha Berentzi, director of retail, operations and property at M&S. He added: “We continue to ask for an extension of Sunday trading hours to help us increase our ability to serve everyone safely during this festive season.”