ACS has written to new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to take immediate action to support the convenience sector. The letter outlines four recommendations, none requiring additional legislation, demonstrating the PM’s commitment to helping local shops.
The recommendations are:
- Direct the Payment Systems Regulator to review the impact of cuts to interchange fees on free to use cash machines
- Launch an urgent review of out of court disposals to tackle so called ‘low level’ crime like theft
- Scrap proposals to regulate the location of high fat, salt and sugar products in shops
- Extend the 1/3 discount on business rates for small businesses beyond the end of the next financial year
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The new Prime Minister has an opportunity to make immediate changes to help thousands of convenience stores without the need for primary legislation. With continued uncertainty over our future relationship with the EU and the looming threat of no deal, convenience stores have held back on investment plans. By supporting the sector with the policy changes that we have set out, the Prime Minister can give retailers a much needed boost and confidence to invest.”
The full letter to the Prime Minister is available here: https://cdn.acs.org.uk/public/acs_letter_to_pm_boris_2019.pdf
