Press Releases

The All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group has written to Financial Secretary to the Treasury Rt Hon Mel Stride MP, chair of the Treasury Select Committee Nicky Morgan MP and Interim MDs of the Payment Systems Regulator Louise Buckley and Chris Hemsley, calling on the Government and the regulator to take forward the recommendations of the Access to Cash review and urgently review the impact of ongoing cuts to interchange fees on ATMs imposed by LINK.

ACS has welcomed the publication of the Payment Systems Regulator’s Annual Plan and its focus on ensuring that the card market is fair, and that communities have access to cash in the future.

The plan includes reference to the following areas as priorities for the regulator:

The 2019 Crime Report, published today by the Association of Convenience Stores, has revealed that crimes committed against the convenience sector cost an estimated £246m over the last year, equivalent to over £5,300 for every store in the UK, or what amounts to a 7p tax on every transaction.

But the report also found shocking new evidence of the human cost of violence and abuse against retailers and shopworkers, with a staggering 83% of people working in convenience stores having been subject to verbal abuse over the last year.

HM Revenue and Customs has confirmed that small retailers will be able to start applying for tobacco track and trace codes from 30^th April, just three weeks before the introduction of the regulations on May 20^th.

In his Spring Statement today (13^th March), Chancellor Philip Hammond MP has confirmed that the Government will launch a review into the future of the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage after 2020.

The review of the international evidence relating to the employment and productivity effects of rising wage rates will be conducted by Professor Arin Dube and will consider the views of employers, trade unions, the Low Pay Commission and other stakeholders. The review will report to HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Government’s latest consultation on tobacco track and trace regulations, reiterating concerns about the short lead times for implementation.

The consultation asks for views on the enforcement activity that will be introduced to police the track and trace system. In addition to concerns on the timeframes, ACS’ submission seeks clarification on the process for deactivation of identifier codes (which would effectively stop a retailer from selling tobacco in their business) if the regulations are breached.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is encouraging more retailers to accept Healthy Start vouchers, currently only one third of independent retailers take advantage of the scheme.

Healthy Start is a government initiative which provides pregnant women and parents with young children, who are in receipt of qualifying benefits, Healthy Start vouchers. These vouchers can be used to purchase milk, fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables and infant formula milk from local shops which have signed up to the scheme.

ACS has welcomed the publication of the final Access to Cash Review, calling on the Government to ensure that consumer’s access to cash is protected in the future.

The review, published this morning (6^th March), notes that while the UK’s cash use is in decline, we are still a long way away from becoming a cashless society as millions of people still rely on cash on a daily basis. The review found that 17% of the UK population (8 million adults) would struggle to cope in a cashless society, while 97% of the population still carry cash on them.

The Association of Convenience Stores has called on the Government to ensure that there is a level playing field for the UK’s 16,944 rural convenience stores which allows them to keep pace with new technology and continue providing essential services to local people.

The 2019 Rural Shop Report reveals that rural convenience stores provide flexible jobs for almost 140,000 people, have invested over £271m in improving their businesses, and are providing a wider range of services despite being hampered by slower than average broadband speeds and unreliable mobile connectivity.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed Government proposals to extend the plastic bag charge in England to all retailers, as long as there are no additional reporting requirements on small businesses.

The Government is currently consulting on the extension of the plastic bag charge in England to businesses with fewer than 250 employees. A 5p charge for plastic bags has been in place for large businesses in England since 2015, with supermarkets reporting that plastic bag sales have fallen by 86% after the introduction of the charge.