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In Hesse, sales outlets may be open for business with customers from 0:00 - 24:00 on working days.

Sales outlets must be closed for business traffic at the following times

• on Sundays and public holidays,
• on Maundy Thursday from 20:00,
• on 24.12 , if this day falls on a working day, from 14:00 and
• on 31.12 , if this day falls on a working day, from 14:00.

During these times, it is also prohibited to offer goods for sale to anyone outside the sales outlets.

By way of derogation :

• Petrol stations from 0:00 - 24:00 for the sale of fuels, spare parts for maintaining or restoring the roadworthiness of motor vehicles and for the sale of travel supplies,
• Sales outlets at international airports, airports and passenger railway stations from 0:00 - 24:00, but only for the sale of travel goods at airports and passenger railway stations,
• "digital mini supermarkets", i.e. fully automated sales outlets with a sales area of up to 120 square meters, which exclusively sell everyday consumer goods and are operated by digital solutions without sales staff from 0:00 to 24:00 hours
• Kiosks for a period of 6 hours for the sale of newspapers, magazines, tobacco products, food and beverages in small quantities,
• Sales outlets selling mainly bakery or confectionery products for a period of 6 hours for the sale of fresh bakery and confectionery products,
• outlets selling flowers in large quantities for a period of 6 hours for the sale of flowers, and
• Sales outlets of agricultural businesses, farm stores and cooperative sales outlets for the sale of self-produced agricultural products for a period of 6 hours
• sales outlets in health resorts, excursion and pilgrimage destinations on up to 40 Sundays or public holidays per year for the sale of travel goods, sporting goods, devotional items, goods characteristic of these locations and items for tourist use (the opening hours on these days may not exceed 8 hours)

be open.

In addition, the municipalities are authorized to permit the opening of sales outlets on up to 4 Sundays or public holidays per year on the occasion of markets, trade fairs, local festivals or similar events. The following applies: Advent Sundays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter holidays, Whitsun holidays, Corpus Christi, the second last Sunday after Trinity Sunday (Volkstrauertag) and the last Sunday after Trinity Sunday (Totensonntag) may not be opened.

The regulations applicable in Hesse do not apply:

• to trade fairs, markets and exhibitions established under commercial law or to wholesale markets authorized under commercial law if no goods are displayed for sale to the end consumer,
• to the sale of accessory articles that are closely related to a non-commercial or commercial activity or event permitted under other legal provisions, in particular at cultural and sporting events, in leisure, recreation and amusement facilities, in hospitality and accommodation facilities and museums.

See Nos. 3721 - 3725 of the list of administrative costs (Annex to the Administrative Cost Regulations for the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration (VwKostO-HMSI)).

The municipalities, the district committees and the regional councils are responsible for monitoring compliance with the regulations.