Business and municipal leaders in Nova Scotia are divided in their responses after the province gave up its battle to protect a law that banned Sunday shopping in larger stores.

Premier Rodney MacDonald said Wednesday that all retailers will be allowed to open seven days a week, starting this Sunday.

The announcement followed a court ruling in favour of the grocery chains Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore, which had challenged provincial regulations preventing them from selling products on Sundays.

Bernadette MacNeil, manager of cruise marketing for the Sydney Ports Corporation, said she is thrilled that large stores will be allowed to open seven days a week.

"It's very important to this port that we be able to offer same-day services that would be equal to the other ports in Atlantic Canada," she said.

MacNeil said there was one instance where a cruise-ship line was reconsidering a Sunday stop in Sydney because the stores would be closed.

Staff may balk at Sunday shifts

But Bruce Meloney, who owns the Smart Shop in Sydney, said he's not about to open his clothing store on Sunday.

"We voted to not have [Sunday shopping,]" said Meloney, referring to the 2004 plebiscite in which a majority of Nova Scotian voters chose not to lift the ban for stores larger than 4,000 square feet.

Meloney predicted that finding staff to work Sundays will be difficult.

Caught off guard

The government's announcement caught many businesses off guard.

Managers of the large malls in the Halifax area plan to meet Friday to find some common ground on the days they will close, such as Christmas and New Year's.

But with the malls set to open on Sundays, organizers of flea markets and craft shows are scrambling to find new locations.

"I think we all thought we'd have a little more lead time when Sunday shopping was announced," said George Peters, with Bargain Hunters flea markets, "and that's not the case."

Peters said vendors will be at their regular locations this weekend, and though he has found a tentative spot in Sydney for future Sundays, the flea markets in New Glasgow, Truro, New Minas and Bridgewater may have to close.

Expected to cut cross-border shopping

In Amherst, Mayor Jerry Hallee has been fighting the shopping ban since New Brunswick lifted similar legislation, complaining that people in his town were crossing the border and spending their dollars there.

Hallee said he doesn't believe the changes will hurt small businesses in his town.

"Some people feel that if they don't open the big stores will take a certain amount of business away from them," he said.

"But I think there is a certain amount of loyalty, that people will frequent the stores because they like doing business there."

Hallee said it takes a lot of preparation to open seven days a week, so he expects it will be a few weeks before stores in Amherst are open on Sunday.