ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the Government’s decision to continue exempting small shops from unit pricing regulations.

In its response to the consultation on improving price transparency and product information for consumers, the Department of Business and Trade has concluded that there is no compelling case for removing the exemption. The majority of respondents to the consultation, including ACS, supported this outcome.

The exemption currently applies to any shop with a relevant floor area of less than 280 square metres, or roughly 3,000 square feet.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Many convenience stores already show unit prices to help customers to compare across brands and different pack sizes. However this exemption is important especially for small businesses who do not have the systems to calculate unit prices across thousands of lines on their shelves, and in some cases do not have the space to display all the information required. This is a sensible decision. We still expect even more retailers to show unit prices voluntarily as they invest in the systems that make this easier to implement.”

Further information on responses to the consultation, which covered a range of issues related to transparency of pricing and consumer information, is available here.

ACS’ Assured Advice guide on fair trading covers all the obligations for convenience stores and is available here.