Historically, no store in the United Kingdom was allowed to open on a Sunday. However, this was loosened up in the 1990s, resulting in the vast majority of stores opening their doors on Sundays.
However, The Entertainer, known for selling a huge range of toys, is an outlier, in that they remain shut every Sunday. But why is this? This article looks into it.
Background
The Entertainer was founded in 1981 by Gary Grant, alongside his wife Catherine. After a modest initial growth, in the 1990s and 2000s, the business grew substantially.
The store sells a huge range of toys. These include large ranges of LEGO, Playmobil, Toy Story, WWE and Star Wars among other brands.
In the modern day, there are over 170 The Entertainer stores in the United Kingdom. They also have a partnership with superstore ASDA.
One of the best-known aspects of the store is that its shuts on a Sunday. This is linked to the founder’s strong Christian ethos.
Shutting on Sunday for religious reasons
Grant sums up the Christian ethos of The Entertainer by saying – as per Retail Gazette – “we’re Christians, and therefore it’s important for us that we live out our Christian faith”.
This extends to not opening on a Sunday. This is known as the day of the sabbath – traditionally a religious day of rest in Christianity.
Grant said that the decision to remain shut on Sundays was made in 1995 – when Sunday trading became available – and that they haven’t changed their mind since.
Grant explains that as a family of four and with seven grandchildren, that he knows “the easiest day of the week to have a family meal together in Sundays”.
Continuing, Grant says that “we employ lots of mums and dads, uncles, aunties, grandparents, and therefore if those people are working on a Sunday, then they don’t have a convenient day to be together as a family”.
Therefore, Grant says that “we do it because we’re Christians, but also because we value family life”. The Entertainer encourages its staff members to spend time with their families on this day.
Moreover, owing to their Christian faith, The Entertainer does not sell any Harry Potter products or merchandise. Many link Harry Potter to witchcraft or the occult. This is a noticeable omission across all The Entertainer stores.
The Christian ethos of The Entertainer is therefore clear to see. It is very impressive that the store shuts on traditionally one of the busiest days, showing that the founders put people and faith above profit.
The Takeaway
The Entertainer continues to go strong. The aim is that they will continue to grow. With their strong Christian ethos at the heart of what they do, this will hopefully help them and their staff.
Standing by their beliefs is admirable. They are missing out on significant money by shutting one day a week – but they show that their faith is more important than money, which is great to see!
