Berlin Späti association wants referendum on Sunday opening

Head of Berlin’s Späti Association, Alper Baba, has announced that the association plans to hold a referendum on whether late-night shops should be allowed to open on Sundays.

Spätis forbidden from opening Sundays, but many do

Spätis are a big part of what makes being out and about on Berlin's bustling streets at any hour so excellent. 

The late-night shops are only allowed to open Monday to Saturday, according to the Berlin Shop Opening Law (Ladenöffnungsgesetz). But a number of loopholes regarding furniture and which products are sold mean some Spätis open on a Sunday. 

With supermarkets closed, Spätis see their best business on Sundays. In fact, Sunday business is so good that many owners who can’t squeeze through the loopholes risk fines and open anyway, so Berliners can buy their weekend beers, emergency pasta and toilet paper. In some districts, authorities turn a blind eye; in others, fines are more common.

Head of Berlin’s Späti Association, Alper Baba, has had enough of this complicated situation and believes pressure from authorities has caused the number of family-run Spätis in Berlin to fall from 2.000 to 1.200 in recent years. He wants Berliners to have their say on the matter.

Baba wants referendum on Sunday openings

In an interview with Radioeins, Baba announced that the association plans to hold a referendum on whether Berlin should amend the Ladenöffnungsgesetz and allow Spätis to open on Sundays.

For now, the campaign timeline remains unclear. In Berlin, potential referendum campaigns must collect petition signatures from at least 7 percent of the city's eligible voters (around 170.000 people) within a four-month window.

If campaigns clear this hurdle, a referendum can be held. If at least a quarter of eligible voters cast their ballots in the referendum and a majority approve a proposal, the campaign is successful. It would then be up to the Senate to implement the new rules, but it is not obliged to do so.

German labour law adds another dimension, as employees are paid more for working on Sundays and public holidays. Baba simply suggests that Späti owners would be the only ones behind the counter on Sundays.