The Association of Convenience Stores has launched a new Election Pack for retailers, helping its members to make the most out of General Election campaigning activity.

The pack, which is being mailed to thousands of stores in the coming days, sets out what retailers need to make the case for local shops both locally and nationally. The pack includes the following:

• A guide on how to run a successful store visit with prospective parliamentary candidates
• What local shops need from the next Government on key policy areas like crime and employment
• Why local shops matter, including key statistics from the ACS Local Shop Report

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “This General Election is a rare opportunity to get your business in front of brand-new candidates that could be weeks away from becoming MPs. We are expecting hundreds of new MPs to enter parliament at the start of July, so it’s important that they understand the value that local shops bring to the communities that they serve, both socially and economically.”

As part of ACS’ campaigning activity around the election, we have set up a simple tool that retailers can use to request a store visit with candidates in their constituency. Retailers can go to the ACS Election Centre, put in their postcode and then select the candidates that they want to contact.

In the run up to the general election on July 4th, ACS will be providing updates and analysis on the campaigns, the manifestos and the announcements that will have an impact on the convenience sector. All of the news around the election can be followed at ACS.org.uk

The Election Pack is also available to download from the ACS website here