Czech Republic: holiday retail sales ban applies to fashion stores over 200 m²

Retailers in the Czech Republic must close stores with a sales area above 200 m² on selected public holidays, including Czech Statehood Day on 28 September. Fitting rooms, counters and some staff areas count toward the 200 m² threshold.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority has reminded retailers that the national restrictions on retail opening hours apply on Czech Statehood Day, 28 September 2026. Under Act No. 223/2016 Coll., retail sales are prohibited on certain public holidays in establishments with a sales area larger than 200 m².

The rule applies to ordinary retail businesses, including fashion retailers. There is no special exemption for clothing, footwear, accessories or similar products. This means that a fashion store exceeding the 200 m² sales-area threshold must not carry out retail sales on the covered public holiday, unless it falls within one of the specific statutory exemptions.

According to the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, the prohibition applies on several public holidays during the year. The reminder letter can be found on https://coi.gov.cz/na-den-ceske-statnosti-v-pondeli-28-zari-je-v-provozovnach-nad-200-metru-ctverecnich-prodejni-plochy-a-dalsich-provozovnach-zakazan-prodej/

Retail sales in affected stores are prohibited on:

• 1 January – Restoration of the Independent Czech State and New Year
• Easter Monday
• 8 May – Victory Day
• 28 September – Czech Statehood Day
• 28 October – Independent Czechoslovak State Da
• 25 December
• 26 December
• On 24 December, sales are prohibited from 12:00 until 24:00.
• For 28 September 2026, the rule therefore means that covered stores must not conduct retail sales for the entire day.

A fashion store with a sales area of more than 200 m² falls under the prohibition. A smaller store below the threshold does not fall under this specific size-based restriction.

For example, a 150 m² clothing store would generally remain outside the rule, while a 250 m² fashion store would be covered.

The same applies to larger flagship stores and major retail units inside shopping centres. The rule is based on the area of the individual retail establishment, not simply the total size of the shopping centre.

What counts as the 200 m² sales area?

This point is especially important for fashion retailers because the sales area is broader than just the part of the store where products are displayed.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority states that the sales area includes the entire area accessible to customers, including fitting rooms. It also includes areas occupied by sales counters and displays, as well as the area behind counters that is used by sales staff.

This can make a significant difference when determining whether a store exceeds the threshold.

For example, a fashion store might have 170 m² of main customer shopping space, together with 15 m² of fitting rooms, 10 m² occupied by sales counters and 10 m² of relevant staff space behind the counters.

In that case, the legally relevant sales area may exceed 200 m², even though the main shop floor itself appears to be below the threshold.

Retailers should therefore verify their store measurements carefully rather than relying only on the visible product-display area.

The restriction does not apply in every location.

According to the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, the sales ban does not apply to sales at bus stations, railway stations and airports, where there is a higher concentration of passengers. It also does not apply to shops in healthcare facilities, pharmacies and petrol stations.

This means that location can be just as important as size.

A fashion retailer with a store above 200 m² in a standard shopping centre or high-street location would generally be affected. A store located in an airport, however, may fall within the statutory exemption.Retailers operating multiple stores should therefore assess each location separately.

The Czech Trade Inspection Authority document focuses on retail sales carried out in physical establishments.

It does not state that ordinary online sales must stop on the relevant public holiday.

For this reason, a fashion retailer operating an e-commerce website is not automatically prevented from accepting online orders merely because one of its physical stores exceeds 200 m².

Implementation impact and what the business should do

Fashion retailers operating in the Czech Republic should first identify which individual stores have a relevant sales area above 200 m².

When calculating the threshold, businesses should include fitting rooms, sales counters, customer-accessible areas and the relevant space behind counters used by employees, as confirmed by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority.

Retailers should then identify whether any store is located in an exempt location such as an airport, railway station or bus station.

For stores that are covered by the restriction, businesses should ensure that normal retail sales do not take place on the specified public holidays. Store opening hours, employee schedules, POS access and customer information should be aligned accordingly.

The text above is based on the text published Czech Trade Inspection Authority (Česká obchodní inspekce, ČOI). Source

Nikolina Basić, Senior Legal Consultant at Fiscal Solutions

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