The Cross Party Group on Small Shops has met to raise awareness across the Senedd about the extent and impact of violence and abuse faced by shopworkers.
The meeting was chaired by Vikki Howells MS and attended by a number of MSs, independent retail trade associations, trade union USDAW and independent retailers.
During the meeting, ACS government relations director Edward Woodall presented the findings of ACS’ 2022 Crime Report and talked about the #ShopKind campaign.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a joint consultation launched by the Treasury and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities about implementing changes to business rates confirmed at the Autumn Budget.
The consultation covers a number of areas, including: delivering three-yearly revaluations, reforming the appeals system in England, and introducing improvement relief and green investment incentives.
In the submission, ACS makes a number of recommendations:
ACS (the Association of the Convenience Stores) has welcomed the publication of the Government’s levelling up white paper, specifically the commitments to tackle crime in communities and boost connectivity in rural areas.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to provide more support for rural convenience stores as part of the levelling up agenda, highlighting the vital role that these businesses play to the economy and to their local communities.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched a new campaign to boost awareness of Challenge25 among consumers and support colleagues in local shops selling age restricted products.
Challenge25 is a long running successful policy created to support colleagues who are doing their job by enforcing the law on age restricted sales. The policy, which urges colleagues to check for proof of age for anyone that might look 25 or under, is most commonly used for alcohol purchases but also applies to all other age restricted products.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the publication of correspondence from the Treasury Committee which sheds further light on the increasing cost of card payments for businesses in the UK.
Book your place at the launch of ACS’ 2022 Welsh Local Shop Report, taking place virtually on 12th January, 10 – 11am.
This virtual launch event will explore the findings of the 2022 report, taking a look at the stores, people and services shaping local shops in Wales.
The event will include a speech from Economy Minister Vaughan Gething about the Welsh Government’s plans to support local shops and the Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths will talk about the positive impact of local shops on their communities throughout the pandemic.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched its annual Colleague Survey and is calling on people working in local shops to provide their views on employment in the convenience sector.
Now in its seventh year, the ACS Colleague Survey is designed to:
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched a new group which aims to act as a support network for women running independent convenience stores.
The group was formed to provide women with a space to connect with each other and share their experiences and perspectives. ACS will facilitate quarterly meetings for the group, featuring guest speakers and workshops where the group will explore a range of topics, including: public speaking, confidence and how to use social media.
Yesterday (15th December) the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Bill had a Report Stage sitting, where an amendment addressing abuse towards public facing workers was considered.
ACS has outlined the scale and impact of violence and abuse against shopworkers, with over 40,000 shopworkers experiencing violence and 89% experiencing verbal abuse over the past year in briefings to peers throughout the passage of the Bill. Ahead of the debate ACS contacted and briefed Peers to urge them to support the amendment.
