Press Releases

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the publication of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on the sustainability of policing, calling for the government to ensure police response to crime against convenience retailers and their staff is consistent.

ACS has welcomed indications that the Chancellor will take significant steps to reduce the burden of business rates for small shops.

A number of news outlets are reporting this weekend that Monday’s Budget will include the announcement of significant extensions to small business rate relief to include stores with a rateable value of up to £51,000.

ACS has responded to the publication of the Home Affairs Committee’s report into policing, urging the Government to take action to ensure that police forces are adequately resourced to deal with crime. ACS figures show that over three quarters of retailers are concerned about the response from police when crimes are committed against their business.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the publication of the Office for National Statistics annual Crime Survey for England and Wales, highlighting the significant issues retailers and their staff face when dealing with shop theft.

According to the ONS survey, the number of police recorded shop theft incidents for the year ending June 2018 has reached 382,706, a 1% increase on the previous year. The survey also reports a significant increase in the number of violent offences recorded, increasing by 19% over the last year to 1.4million.

Representatives from the retail sector have told the Cross Party Group on Small Shops in Wales of the serious human and financial cost of crimes committed against retailers and the people working in stores.

The meeting of the CPG on Small Shops heard from representatives from the Association of Convenience Stores, the Welsh Retail Consortium, the Shopworkers Union USDAW and Gwent Police on the impact of shop theft, violence and abuse on the retail sector, as well as ways that the police and justice system can do more to tackle and prevent retail crime.

The 2018 Forecourt Report has revealed the essential role that the UK's 8,418 forecourts play in the lives of consumers, the improvements that forecourts are making in their businesses, and the challenges they face in the future.

The report details the investment that forecourt stores are making in improving their offering to customers through new technologies, more efficient refrigeration and a wider food offer, with over £11,000 invested per store on average.

Other key findings from the report include:

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has submitted evidence to the Access to Cash Review, which is seeking views on the cash access requirements for consumers and businesses over the next five to fifteen years.

In the submission, ACS calls for retention of the ATM network to meet the demand for cash as a form of payment. The majority of convenience stores trade in locations where they are one of a limited number of shops and services, often providing the only source of cash access for consumers.

ACS has responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on a deposit return scheme for Scotland, reiterating concerns about the potential impact of a scheme on retailers.

New figures released today by LINK, the body that oversees the ATM network, has shown that there has been a 2% decline (1,300 ATMs) in the free-to-use ATM network. 

Between February and the start of July 2018, the number of free-to-use ATMs reduced from 54,500 to 53,200.

The 2018 Local Shop Report has revealed that convenience retailers are countering cost increases in their business by investing in services, opening for longer and employing more people on flexible part time contracts.

Over the last year, there has been an increase in the average number of people working in stores, with the sector overall now employing almost 365,000 people, although this has been coupled with a move to colleagues working shorter hours.

Key findings from this year’s report include: