SAMOA

SHOPS ORDINANCE 1961

Arrangement of Provisions

1.	Short title and commencement
2.	Interpretation
3.	General provision as to closing
4.	When shop deemed to be open
5.	Working hours
6.	General exemptions
7.	Partial exemptions
8.	Saving of telephonic,telegraphic, or postal business
9.	Closing in one shop carrying on 2 or more classes of business
10 – 14.	Repealed
15.	Offences
16.	Regulations
17.	Repeals and savings 
	
Schedule

			

SHOPS ORDINANCE 1961
1961	No. 31

AN ORDINANCE to consolidate and amend the law relating to the hours during which shops may remain open and to make provision in regard to the working hours of shop assistants.	
[Assent and commencement date: 29 December 1961]

1.	Short title and commencement– (1) This Ordinance is cited as the Shops Ordinance 1961.
(2) This Ordinance comes into force on a day to be appointed for the commencement thereof by the Council of State by notice published in the Samoa Gazette.

2.	Interpretation– In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires:
“occupier” means the person occupying any building or place used or intended to be used as a shop; and includes any agent, manager, foreman, or other person acting or apparently acting in the general management or control of a shop;
“public holiday” means any holiday defined in or declared under the Public Holidays Act 2008;
“shop” means any premises in or about which goods are kept, exposed, or offered for sale in the ordinary course of trade;
“shop assistant” in relation to any shop, means any person other than the wife or husband or family of the occupier, who is employed by the occupier of the shop in connection with the business of the shop.

3.	General provision as to closing– Except as otherwise provided by this Ordinance, a shop shall be closed:
(a)	during the whole of every Sunday and public holiday;
(b)	on any other day outside regular working hours.

4.	When shop deemed to be open– A shop is taken to be open if:
(a)	it is not effectually closed against the admission of the public;
(b)	a person other than the occupier or the occupier’s employees is found in it, unless the occupier can prove to the satisfaction of the Court that such person was not in the shop for the purpose of purchasing goods.

5.	Working hours–Except as otherwise provided in this Ordinance, regular working hours for shop assistants shall consist of periods aggregating in all not more than 40 hours in any week, and falling within the following times:
(a)	not more than 8 hours between the hours of 8 o'clock in the morning and half past 4 o'clock in the afternoon on any day from Monday to Friday, both inclusive;
(b)	not more than 4½ hours between the hours of 8 o'clock in the morning and 12.30 o'clock in the afternoon on Saturdays:
PROVIDED THAT the regular working hours in any week shall be reduced by 8 hours for every public holiday falling on any Monday to Friday, both inclusive in such week, and by 4 hours for every public holiday falling on a Saturday.

6.	General exemptions–This Ordinance doesnot apply to any shop:
(a)	wherein is carried on only the business of—
(i)	a pharmaceutical chemist; or
(ii)	a garage proprietor; or
(iii)	a restaurant keeper; or
(iv)	a photographer;
(b)	wherein a business is carried on only in pursuance of and in accordance with a market licence issued under the Samoan Market Ordinance 1927.

6A.	Exemptions–This Ordinance doesnot apply to an international bank licensed under the International Banking Act 2005 or to a Trustee Company registered under the Trustee Companies Act 1988 or to an international company or foreign company incorporated or registered under the International Companies Act 1988.

7.	Partial exemptions– (1)Despite anything contained in this Ordinance it is lawful:
(a)	to sell or deliver bread from premises wherein is carried on only the business of a licensed bakery as defined in section 41 of the Health Ordinance 1959 on any day between 5 amand 7 pm; or
(b)	to open or keep open on any day other than a Sunday or a public holiday between 5 amand 7 pm any shop wherein is carried on only the business of a butcher and ice manufacturer and seller of provisions or foodstuffs or any of them; or
(c)	to sell and deliver fresh meat, fresh fish, frozen goods, and ice or any of them on any Sunday or public holiday between 5 am and 10 am from any shop wherein is carried on only the businesses of a butcher and ice manufacturer and seller of provisions or foodstuffs or any of them; or
(d)	to open or keep open on any day between 6 amand 11.30 pmany shop or premises wherein is carried on only the businesses of a tobacconist and a confectioner or either of them; or
(e)	to open or keep open any shop at any time in accordance with regulations made under this Ordinance.
(2) The businesses of a butcher, baker, tobacconist, and a confectioner shall for the purposes of the last preceding subsection be deemed to be the respective businesses as defined in the Second Schedule to the Business Licences Ordinance 1960.

8.	Saving of telephonic, telegraphic, or postal business– Nothing in this Ordinance renders it unlawful for the occupier of a shop in which telephonic, telegraphic, or postal business is carried on, on behalf of the Minister of the Samoa Post Office to open the shop for the purpose of any such business at any time when the shop is otherwise required by or under this Ordinance to be closed, if:
(a)	the shop is opened for that purpose only; and
(b)	the shop is closed immediately after the business is concluded; and
(c)	the door of the shop is kept locked, except for the admission and exit of the person with whom the business is conducted.

9.	Closing in one shop carrying on 2 or more classes of business – (1)If the occupier of a shop carries on 2 or more classes of business in one building or place or in buildings or places adjacent to one another, those businesses is taken to be carried on in one shop.
(2)If a shop is required by or under this Ordinance to be closed at any time by reason of the fact that any goods comprised in a particular class of business are sold or exposed for sale in that shop, it is not necessary for the shop to be closed at any such time if during that time:
(a)	no such goods are sold or exposed for sale in or from the shop; and
(b)	all such goods in the shop are kept in a part of the shop which is kept securely locked so that no person other than the occupier can have access to them:
PROVIDED THAT, where the goods are kept:
(a)	 in a part of the shop where no member of the public can see them at any time whatsoever, the requirement that that part of the shop be kept securely locked shall not apply:
(b)	in a shop window, it is sufficient if the shop window is kept securely locked.

10 – 14.	Repealed by section 8 of the Public Holidays Act 2008.

15.	Offences– (1)A person who fails to comply with any provision of this Ordinance or any regulation made under this Ordinance commits an offence.
(2)A person convicted of an offence against this Ordinance or the regulations made thereunder for which no other penalty is provided is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding5 penalty units.

16.	Regulations– (1) The Head of State, acting on the advice of Cabinet, may make regulations as necessary or expedient for giving full effect to the provisions of this Ordinance and for the due administration thereof.
(2)Repealed by section 8 of the Public Holidays Act 2008
(3)The Minister of Labour shall lay all regulations made under this section before the Legislative Assembly within 28 days after the making thereof if the Assembly is then in session and, if not, to lay them before the Assembly within 28 days after the commencement of the next ensuing session.

17.	Repeal and savings– (1) The enactments specified in the Schedule to this Ordinance are repealed.
(2) Without limiting the provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1974, the repeal of any provision by this Ordinance shall not affect any proclamation, warrant, or thing whatsoever made or done under the provisions so repealed, and every such proclamation, warrant, or thing, so far as it is subsisting or in force at the time of the repeal and could have been made or done under this Ordinance, shall continue and have effect as if it had been made or done under the corresponding provision of this Ordinance.

SCHEDULE
(Section 17(1))

ENACTMENTS REPEALED

1931  No.6   -	The Shopping Hours Ordinance 1931
1936  No.5   -	The Shopping Hours Amendment Ordinance 1936
1951  No.3   -	The Ordinances Amendment Ordinance 1951, section 7

REVISION NOTES 2008– 2014

This is the official version of this Act as at 31 December 2014.

This Act has been revised by the Legislative Drafting Division from 2008 to 2014 respectively under the authority of the Attorney General given under the Revision and Publication of Laws Act 2008.

The following general revisions have been made: 
(a)	Amendments have been made to conform to modern drafting styles and to use modern language as applied in the laws of Samoa.
(b)	Amendments have been made to up-date references to offices, officers and statutes.
(c)	Insertion of the commencement date
(d)	Other minor editing has been done in accordance with the lawful powers of the Attorney General.
(i)	“Every” and “any” changed to “a”
(ii)	“shall be” changed to “is” and “shall be deemed” changed to “is taken”
(iii)	“shall have” changed to “has”
(iv)	“shall be guilty” changed to “commits”
(v)	“notwithstanding” changed to despite”
(vi)	“pursuant to” changed to “under”
(vii)	“it shall be lawful” changed to “may”
(viii)	“it shall be the duty” changed to shall”
(ix)	Numbers in words changed to figures
(x)	“hereby” and “from time to time” (or “at any time” or “at all times”) removed
(xi)	“under the hand of” changed to “signed by”

Note: There is a pending Bill in Parliament that will repeal this Ordinance. The Public Holidays Amendment Bill 2014 may be passed and commenced in 2015. 

This Ordinance is administered by
the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour.