Shops in the Madrid province are to be allowed to stay open 24 hours a day every day except Sundays.
Unions have condemned the move, saying that it will impinge on family life and could cost up to 100,000 jobs, but the association of shopping centres has welcomed the idea, saying that it will lead to a reduction in prices.
Opening times of shops are a matter of regional law, although within limits set by the central government. Madrid already allow shops to open on twenty-two Sundays per year compared to the national average of eight.