ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a consultation launched by the Welsh Parliament’s Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee on reducing single-use plastics in Wales, calling for clarification on timescales for the proposals.
ACS has briefed MPs on the important role that local shops play in ensuring that their communities have access to healthy foods ahead of a Westminster Hall debate on the Healthy Start Scheme.
Healthy Start is a government scheme for those who are at least 10 weeks pregnant, parents, carers and young children in low-income families, to help them buy healthy food and milk and get free Healthy Start vitamins. It is a digital scheme that offers a prepaid card to those applying for Healthy Start instead of paper vouchers.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Welsh Government consultation on introducing restrictions on high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products highlighting the impact on retailers and need for a consistent regulatory approach across the UK.
The consultation looks at HFSS products in terms of placement, promotions and defining what products are impacted. The Welsh Government’s proposals are similar to those being introduced in England on HFSS products, but there are some key differences:
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a consultation reviewing the current law on selling in imperial and metric units, highlighting a number of issues that a move to dual pricing would have on businesses, consumers and the wider community.
The Welsh Government has published a draft Bill which seeks to ban or restrict the sale of some of the most commonly littered single-use plastics in Wales, including a ban on plastic bags which are currently subject to a 5p charge.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has submitted evidence to the CMA’s detailed market study into fuel pricing, highlighting the competitive nature of fuel pricing and the limited impact that retailers can have on the overall fuel price.
The market study follows a review ordered by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in June, which was requested after the price of petrol and diesel increased by over 60p in the previous 12 months.
The market study is focusing on what the CMA sees as the two main factors affecting the increase in the fuel price:
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has highlighted the importance of transitional arrangements in advance of the business rates revaluation due in 2023 in a submission to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
In the submission, ACS makes a number of recommendations including:
The Cross Party Group on Small Shops has met to explore the Welsh Government’s retail vision and how small shops are contributing to the delivery of the strategy to regenerate the retail sector in Wales.
The meeting was chaired by Vikki Howells MS and attended by a number of MS’s and independent retail trade associations.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a new Competition and Markets Authority review into the fuel market, which highlights the drivers of increased fuel costs.
The review, which was ordered in June by the Business Secretary, was requested after the price of petrol and diesel increased by over 60p in the last year.
Today (28th June) new provisions come into force to make attacking an individual who serves the public, including shopworkers, an aggravated offence. This was introduced in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act.
Figures from the ACS 2022 Crime Report show that in the last year, 89% of colleagues working in convenience stores have faced abuse in their job, with over 35,000 incidents of violence taking place and over 16,000 incidents including the use of a weapon.
