ACS has called on HMRC to impose stricter sanctions on retailers who are found to be selling illicit tobacco.
ACS chief executive, James Lowman said: “The illicit tobacco market costs the Treasury over £2bn a year. Retailers who sell illicit tobacco have a direct impact on retailers selling legitimate products who, as a result, may be losing out on revenue and custom. We therefore support more stringent sanctions for retailers who are found to be selling illegal, non-duty paid tobacco”.
GroceryAid is offering financial support to those who work in the convenience sector and are currently going through financial hardship.
The charity are accepting applications from individuals or family members who currently work in any part of the grocery industry, including convenience store retailers, who may be eligible for a one-off financial grant.
To be considered, a retailer will need to have worked in the grocery industry for at least five years. All applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis by GroceryAid.
The law surrounding health and safety practices can be complex and difficult to understand. To help keep your store compliant, ACS has produced a comprehensive Assured Advice guide for ‘Managing Health and Safety’ to lead you through the health and safety procedures you need to carry out in your store.
New research released today by the Association of Convenience Stores has revealed how the public, retailers and local councillors feel about their high streets.
The Community Barometer shows that convenience stores and post offices were seen to be the services which had the most positive impact on their local community, with coffee shops, pharmacies and specialist food shops following close behind.
Mark Pawsey MP for Rugby and Bulkington visited the Bulkington Spar last week discuss the impact of Government regulation on local shops. Plastic bag charging, national living wage and Sunday trading were top of the list for the local Spar shop.
New pyrotechnics (fireworks) legislation has come into force today, making changes to firework retailer’s record keeping practices and displayed signage.
Retailers selling fireworks will now be required to keep a record of who they bought their fireworks from for the last ten years and keep ten years’ records when selling fireworks on to other businesses.
Camelot, operator of the National Lottery, will be providing retailers who currently have Scratchcard only terminals the opportunity to sell tickets for National Lottery draw-based games, such as Lotto and EuroMillions, through their current terminals from early next year.
Retailers will be able to sell the expanded range of games through their current Scratchcard terminal with the installation of a small printer and a software upgrade. Camelot will be contacting all Scratchcard only retailers over the coming months with more information about the scheme.
Keep Sunday Special has today launched a campaign to keep the popular Sunday trading laws, which help families, communities and small retailers.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, a wide range of Keep Sunday Special supporters have highlighted how a change to current Sunday shopping hours contravenes the Prime Minister's own family friendly policy agenda launched last year, bows to pressure from large retailers, and would cause confusion with different councils setting different local rules.
ACS is calling on retailers to respond its National Living Wage survey 2016 to inform the convenience sector’s response to Low Pay Commission’s call for evidence on minimum wage and the new living wage rates.
George Osborne announced that from April next year, a new living wage of £7.20 will be introduced. The Low Pay Commission have asked for evidence on the impact that the national living wage will have on businesses and what the future National Minimum Wage should be for 2016.
ACS is pleased to announce that the parcel collection service, Parcelly, has joined as an Associate supplier.
Parcelly offers a flexible solution to solve last mile delivery problems by converting any local business into a parcel collection point. Being completely smartphone based, the service is extremely easy to set up and operate for Parcelly locations, allowing online shoppers to collect their purchases where and when they want.
