29/10/2013 00:00
TW
0
STAFF REPORTER PALMA could be open until 10pm every night next summer following the succes of this year's Thursday late night shopping campaign. The capital's hotel association, bars, restaurants and local businesses want the experience to be repeated in July, August and September of 2010 - but with a difference, establishments will be staying open late every night of the week except Sunday.


Bartomeu Servera, President of traders' association Afedeco said yesterday that in the wake of this year's successful commercial promotion, his members want “an even fuller” programme to maximise business opportunities. Economic help will be needed from government authorities, he said to finance an “all summer late night shopping” campaign. He said that it could kick off in June and extend to other commercial areas of the island such as Manacor and Inca. “Afedeco members are all for shops staying open Monday to Saturday up until about 10 or 10.30pm Servera said. “Shopkeepers should be able to stay open all the hours they want but a limit of midnight will be imposed,” he furthered. “We'll need to come to an agreement with the unions over the move but we don't anticipate any problems because essentially we are talking about creating more jobs,” claimed Servera.

He explained that “we're not suggesting shop assistants and workers in bars, cafés and restaurants work 15 hours a day, but rather that the businesses adjust their timetables to suit client demand at that time of year.” Servera said that he had had no negative feedback at all about the proposed campaign. Many traders have apparently said to him that “never have they sold so much as during the late night opening hours on Thursday of this summer.”