With the general election taking place on the 4th July, ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) are calling on all retailers to seize this as an opportunity to meet with local parliamentary candidates standing in their constituency and highlight the important work they do in the sector by inviting candidates to visit local shops.

By inviting candidates to visit your store, you’ll be able to build key relationships with your future MP and ensure that your needs are met no matter what the next government might be. You’ll be able to share local issues that affect your business and local community, as well as share the key work that you do. Be sure to share key information with them that highlights the important aspects and contributions of the convenience sector during the visit. You’ll be able to find key figures using the ACS Local Shop Report, which can be accessed here. 

Here are three key questions that you can ask candidates during the store visits:

• What are your plans to tackle shop theft, violence and abuse towards shopworkers?
• How will you help businesses invest and improve the places we trade, like town centres and local parades?
• How will you support businesses like mine with the cost of employing people?

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We highly encourage all retailers to reach out to their local parliamentary candidates and invite them to visit their stores. This is an amazing opportunity to become one of the first to meet new MPs and voice your concerns, ask questions, and emphasise the work that our amazing convenience colleagues do for the sector.

“The convenience sector alone generates over £47bn in sales and provides secure and flexible employment to over 437,000 people across the country. By meeting with members of parliament and building those key relationships, retailers will be able to ensure that their voices are heard so that they can continue to act as the beating heart of their local communities.”

The ACS Election Centre will be providing consistent updates on major pledges and announcements, election implications, manifesto analyses, as well as the latest tips and tricks on how to get the most out of store visits. To arrange a store visit, click here and enter your postcode, select the candidates that you want to invite, and it will automatically generate and send an email for you. It is recommended to arrange separate meeting times for each candidate.

For more information on how to run a store visit, click here. 

You can also watch a short video summarising this information here.