Press Releases

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on convenience retailers to ensure that they are making their voice heard with local decision makers. The call to action came at the Association’s annual Heart of the Community Conference, held in Westminster today (Tuesday 11 October).

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to do more to reform the business rates system in a submission to the Treasury ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on November 23^rd.

The ACS Investment Tracker has revealed a mixed picture of investment in Britain’s local shops.  Convenience stores across the UK have invested a record £210m in store improvements in the past three months, driven by multiple convenience retailers spending  around £9,500 per store.  However, investment levels among independent retailers have fallen to their lowest level since the survey began in 2012.

ACS has reiterated its calls to Government to remove the exemption for small businesses on single use carrier bags in England.

Under the current regulations, small businesses with fewer than 250 employees are exempt from the carrier bag charging regulations, meaning that they do not have to charge 5p for single use bags. However, many stores have introduced a charge voluntarily to raise money for local causes. These rules only apply in England, as in Scotland and Wales the bag charge applies to all businesses regardless of size.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has confirmed the appointment of Patrick Sewell and Debbie Robinson as chair and deputy chair respectively.

Patrick will take on the chairmanship of ACS from 1 November 2016, having served as deputy chair since 2014. Patrick will replace Palmer and Harvey Group Strategy and Development Director Paul Hagon as chair, who remains on the ACS board.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the House of Commons Justice Committee’s recommendation to the Sentencing Council to not include the number of entries in a refusals book as a culpability factor in sentencing for alcohol offences.

The trade association representing local shops, and one of Britain’s biggest charities supporting young people have teamed up to offer apprenticeships in the convenience store sector.  ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) which represents the UK’s 50,000 convenience stores employing 390,000 people, is working with Centrepoint to give these businesses easy access to the system of apprenticeships which is at the heart of the government’s skills strategy.

Centrepoint will work with ACS and its members to:

The 2016 Local Shop Report has revealed the essential role that convenience stores play in the modern retail landscape, with stores more relevant than ever before in consumer’s lives.

Published today by the Association of Convenience Stores, the report demonstrates the value that local shops provide their communities, both in terms of investment and making a positive difference to their local area. Key findings from the report include:

A group of trade associations representing the interests of over 388,000 businesses employing around 4.5 million people, have written to the new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark, urging caution over planned increases in the National Living Wage in the next four years.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Low Pay Commission’s consultation on the future rates of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, calling on the Commission to take into consideration the impact of wage hikes on local shops.

In the submission, ACS raises concerns about the target that the Low Pay Commission was set by the former Chancellor George Osborne of raising the National Living Wage to 60% of median earnings by 2020, calling for the Commission to have its independence in considering future wage rates reinstated.