Introducing a four-day working week would boost high street sales by an estimated £58billion.
Three-day weekends would not only give shoppers 20% more time to buy, but increase spending on hobbies, gardening and DIY, according to analysis.
And the boom would come when struggling retailers need it most.
The study by e-commerce experts at international delivery service ParcelHero also said a shorter week would help staff recruitment by making jobs more attractive.
Consumer research boss David Jinks said: “Lockdowns have made us all re-evaluate our work-life balance and we’ve seen most businesses can survive without the traditional 9-5, five-day week.
“It could boost key areas such as hospitality that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.”
A Survation poll showed that 64% of voters would back four-day working if there was no loss of pay. Iceland, Spain and Norway have run pilot schemes and Microsoft trialled a four-day working week in Japan and found a 40% increase in productivity.
The Scottish government is investing £10million in a fund to help businesses decide if a shorter week would work for them.
British workers put in more full-time working hours than any of our EU-member neighbours – with the exception of Greece.
Yet we are lagging behind in terms of productivity.
France has had a 35-hour week since 2000 which was introduced to lower unemployment. Overtime is paid on any extra hours worked.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn proposed a 32-hour week ahead of the 2019 election. However, his plan was opposed by others in the party.
A survey of business owners, chief executives, and finance officers showed 47% are “very open” to a shortened working week and 32% “quite open”.
The biggest concern was over increased wage bills if there was no reduction in employees’ pay.
That would be offset if productivity went up.
Support for a four-day week with no pay reduction has been growing and is backed by the TUC and major unions.
And environmental campaigners Platform London calculate shifting to a four-day week would reduce the UK’s carbon footprint by 21.3% in four years.
