LONDON - The legislation of suspending the 18-year-long Sunday trading restriction in Britain has taken effect on Sunday in an effort to bolster the weak retail sales during the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The latest official figures showed that Britain's retail sales rose less than expected in June, just 0.1 percent in terms of volume, and sales volume for the three months up to June was 0.7 percent less than in the first quarter of the year.

The Sunday Trading Act 1994 stipulates that shops over 280 square meters in England and Wales are restricted to any six hours of continuous trading between 10:00 and 18:00 on Sundays.

British Finance Minister George Osborne proposed the emergency legislation in his Budget to allow large shops in England and Wales to trade for more than six hours.

"When millions of visitors come to Britain ... we don't want to hang up a closed for business sign," Osborne said in March, adding that the move would help maximize the economic benefits of the Olympics.

The Sunday trading restriction will be suspended for eight weekends from July 22 during the Olympics and Paralympics.