News

The Bank of England has updated its advice for retailers on spotting counterfeit notes ahead of the introduction of the new King Charles banknotes next month.

The new advice from the Bank of England provides training materials that retailers can use to learn best practice for checking banknotes, including the new King Charles III banknotes. The advice highlights what to do if a counterfeit note is received, in addition to guidance dependent on whether the customer has left and how threatening they might be.

The Association of Convenience Stores has welcomed amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill that would make assaulting a shopworker a more serious offence.

A new report released today (13th May) on behalf of the Retail Sector Council has outlined the work that leading retail businesses are doing to create more career opportunities for people that would otherwise be overlooked.

With one week left to complete the Annual Employment Survey, ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) is issuing a final call for all retailers to take part. By sharing your views on employment policy and practices, findings from this survey are crucial to informing ACS’ employment policy work over the coming year, including its submission to the Low Pay Commission.

In its consultation, the Low Pay Commission is seeking evidence on the following areas:

ACS has announced the shortlist for the 2024 Technology and Solutions Showcase, taking place on 4th June at Stoller Hall in Manchester.

The Tech & Solutions Showcase provides a unique opportunity for retailers to find out about new transformative innovations that have either been recently launched or will be launched in the future by suppliers.

The following companies were selected by ACS’ Independent Board and have been shortlisted to demonstrate their product or service at the event:

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Competition and Markets Authority’s Price Marking Report, highlighting the overall high rate of compliance on pricing in the retail sector. 

The report, published this morning, includes the result of inspections of 139 shops between November 2023 and February 2024 to check price marking and pricing accuracy. 

Leading high street retailers, the Home Office and industry groups are coming together to support #ShopKind Week, taking place from 6th – 10^th May 2024. 

The #ShopKind campaign aims to remind customers about the importance of being considerate to shopworkers and each other. UK-wide polling highlights that 31% of customers are more anxious when they shop and 36% of customers have witnessed violence and abuse towards shop worker while shopping.

Taking place next month on the 4th June at Stoller Hall in Manchester, the ACS Technology & Solutions Showcase will allow you to experience and gain exclusive insights into the latest technological developments and services that can make life easier for retailers, improve their bottom line, and take their businesses to the next level! We’ll look at all the important aspects of what’s involved in running a local shop and how you can use technology to enhance the experience of your customers and colleagues, as well as the efficiency of your store.

Content provided by Premier Club supplier TNS. More information about Premier Club is available here: https://www.acs.org.uk/about-us/suppliers/premier-club

Transaction Network Services (TNS), a global leader in payments infrastructure and managed connectivity services, has launched Complete Commerce – a full-stack, modern and secure payment and network capability.  

ACS has called on the Government to provide Trading Standards in England with an additional £140m over the next five years to fund a new battalion of 400 enforcement officers, aimed at tackling the rising tide of illegal vape devices being distributed in England.