David Ramsden, one of the co-ordinators of the original Sunday shopping campaign in the 1990s, will embark on a round of lobbying at the political gatherings. He expects to make a submission to the DTI on the issue 'by late autumn'.
'We have been working on it for the past few months,' he said. 'We are at all the conferences to gauge the reaction of the parties to the issue.'
He argued that shoppers would benefit from change, but it was primarily a matter of deregulation to conclude the 'unfinished business' from the original settlement.
The Government's Better Regulation Taskforce, chaired by David Arculus, has so far refused to take up the cause. However, it is understood that the campaign has allies in the Treasury keen to lend support.
Sunday shopping hours were relaxed in 1994, but shops measuring more than 3,000 sq ft (280 sq m) can still only trade for six hours.
Retailers including Asda, some fashion groups and department store chains are behind the latest drive for extended opening. More than two-thirds of retailers argue that Sunday is their second most important selling day, accounting for an average 15 per cent of weekly turnover.
However, other retailers are indifferent, or opposed to, longer Sunday hours. One senior industry source claimed that an attempt to raise funds to run the campaign had fallen largely on deaf ears, indicating that retailers face more pressing issues such as tough trading conditions and rising costs.
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