Shops, restaurants, cafes, and malls across Egypt began operating under winter hours as of Friday, September 26. The winter operating schedule sees closing times an hour earlier than in summer.
Retail shops and malls will open from 7 am to 10 pm daily, with hours extended until 11 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and public holidays.
Restaurants, cafes, and bazaars may operate from 5 am to midnight, with closing time extended to 1 am during holidays.
Home delivery from restaurants and cafes remains available around the clock. Workshops and craft shops located within residential areas are restricted to opening hours between 8 am and 6 pm.
Essential businesses, including grocery stores, supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies, produce and poultry shops, and wholesale markets, are exempt from these mandated operating times.
A statement released by the Ministry of Local Development confirmed it would address any reported violations.
The seasonal timetable system, first introduced in 2020, aims to strike a balance between commercial activity and energy conservation, while also reducing noise disruption in residential areas and improving overall urban management.
The implementation of winter operating hours for commercial venues precedes the official end of Daylight-Saving Time (DST) in Egypt, which is scheduled for the end of October. At that point, Egypt will switch from the GMT+3 time zone to GMT+2.
Source: Al-Ahram
Online
