News

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation and the Association of Convenience have today (24^th June) submitted a joint response to the Scottish Parliament Health Committee’s call for evidence on the new Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill.

The response opposes the provisions contained in the Bill to impose further restrictions on the advertising and promotion of alcohol and to encourage Licensing Boards to make greater use of bottle marking schemes.

The Welsh Assembly Cross-Party Group on Small Shops, run by ACS, is hosting an exclusive reception to celebrate the contribution small shops make to the Welsh economy and the important role they play in their communities.

The reception on 1^st July, held at The Pierhead Building in Cardiff, will be attended by small shop owners from across Wales, Welsh Assembly Members and representatives from ACS and the Independent Retail Confederation. Edwina Hart AM, Minister for Economy, Science and Transport will be providing a keynote address at the Reception.

Local shops in Wales have raised concerns over proposals in the Environment (Wales) Bill that would see new regulations introduced on carrier bags and waste disposal. The Bill puts forward the following proposals:

The Association of Convenience Stores is delighted to announce that Manchester retailer Paul Stone and Andy Cresswell (Deputy Chief Executive – Trading, Midcounties Co-operative)  have been elected to the Board of Directors as of this morning (17^th June 2015).

The trade associations have today (17^th June) submitted a joint response to the call for evidence from Scottish environment agency Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) on the feasibility of implementing a Deposit and Return Scheme (DRS) in Scotland.

New research published by ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has revealed that over 90% of convenience retailers do not have concerns about their tobacco display ban compliance.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has set out its recommendations to Government on business rate reform to make the system fairer and help small businesses.

In its submission, ACS highlights the inherent issues in the rates system that penalise retailers trying to expand and invest in their business.

The Welsh Government has introduced new plans to create a national retailers register of tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and tobacco papers.

This proposal featured in the Public Health Bill (Wales) which was initiated into the National Assembly for Wales yesterday. The Bill also includes proposals to make the proxy purchase of tobacco and nicotine products illegal, meaning an adult cannot buy tobacco products on behalf of a person under the age of 18.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the chancellor to support the growth of convenience stores by taking action on employment, rates reform and duty fraud ahead of the summer 2015 Budget.

In its submission to government ahead of the first Budget after the 2015 General Election, ACS has called for government to ensure that the Low Pay Commission remains an independent body and is not influenced by central government targets.

ACS chief executive, James Lowman has set out the challenges facing forecourts during the next parliament at today’s 2015 Forecourt Seminar, focusing on business rates and the continuing localism agenda as key priorities in the coming months.