As the Olympic flag passed from London to Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and the nation began reflecting on the athletic and cultural success the Olympic Games have proven to be, attention soon turned to sustaining that momentum and building on the legacy left behind by London 2012.

As the Olympic flag passed from London to Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and the nation began reflecting on the athletic and cultural success the Olympic Games have proven to be, attention soon turned to sustaining that momentum and building on the legacy left behind by London 2012.

From education to economics, politicians are under pressure to unveil plans to seize upon this collective sense of purpose, but for retailers the tangible and long-term effects are hard to quantify, much less build upon.

It’s no surprise then to see certain sections of the Government begin to moot the prospect of making permanent its decision to relax Sunday trading laws over the Olympic and Paralympic Games. On the face of it this constitutes positive action to boost a flagging economy. But its genesis in London 2012 also allows ministers to continue to bask in the Olympic glow.

But as governments have found before, there’ll be fierce opposition to any such efforts. The advantage current proponents have is the door is now ajar, and calls for a permanent change will be that much harder to resist.

The simple view is that the debate is characterised by two distinct camps. In one corner you have free marketers, championing consumer choice, backed by the multiple retailers that are disadvantaged by the uneven, legislative playing field. They face an alliance of vested interests from the independent sector, keen to hang on to one of the few advantages it has over its larger rivals, and a faction made up of religious and social conservatives set on protecting Sunday’s special place in the week.

But as Sainsbury’s dismissal of the need to extend Sunday trading has demonstrated this week, the debate is anything but simple. And, while other opponents from within the multiple category have been less vocal, Justin King and Co do not stand alone.

The problem is that even when you remove the emotive social and religious implications of turning Sunday into another full day’s trading, there is yet to be a compelling economic case for the change. There is little sign of any demand for extended hours from consumers who already have plenty of time to shop. One must wonder whether a few extra hours each week would add anything into the financial mix except cost for retailers.

Doubtless there are exceptions, most notably in tourist-led areas such as the West End. But for the sector as a whole, legislators must ensure that business needs not polling numbers drive any decision for change.