From Monday, all shopping malls, stores and kitchen markets have to close down by 8:00pm across the country, according to a government directive.
The announcement was made after leaders of various business associations sat in a meeting with the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Businessmen have been urging the government to postpone the decision until Eid-ul-Azha next month.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian said that the ministry will forward their request to reconsider the decision to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for approval.
The Prime Minister's Office has recently given the directives to save electricity amid rising energy prices worldwide following the Russia-Ukraine war.
Businesses were deprived of the full-scale festival-centric sale due to the 2-year-long Covid-19 pandemic and incurred huge losses, said the FBCCI in a statement on Saturday.