The Early Closing Association was formed in the United Kingdom in 1842 or 1843 to control the hours of labour in

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...

shops, and to abolish Sunday trading. It was promoted by

Samuel Carter Hall Samuel Carter Hall (9 May 1800 – 11 March 1889) was an Irish-born Victorian journalist who is best known for his editorship of ''The Art Journal'' and for his much-satirised personality. Early years Hall was born at the Geneva Barracks in Wat ...

, George Dawson and

John Passmore Edwards John Passmore Edwards M.P. (24 March 1823 – 22 April 1911) ODNB article by A. J. A. Morris, 'Edwards, John Passmore (1823–1911)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 200 accessed 15 ...

, among others. Half-day early Closing was not finally won until 1912.

Victoria (Australia)

A similar association was founded in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in the 1850s. Retail workers sought to reduce the number of work hours and to introduce early closing on Saturdays.

References

Political organisations based in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1842 Political organisations based in Australia {{UK-org-stub