New research from the Association of Convenience Stores has shown how consumers feel about their local shops and how important they see them in helping manage their money.
As the nation faces a cost of living crisis, consumers see local shops as part of the solution to manage their money. The UK’s 46,000+ convenience stores have a unique reach into every community, providing a lifeline for thousands of people every day and especially over the last two years during the pandemic.
There’s just less than one week until this year’s Power, Mobility and Convenience Conference, taking place online on 5th July from 10:00am.
This year’s conference will explore how the UK’s 7,000+ forecourts can adapt and change in the future on the road to Net Zero, as well as looking at new and emerging store formats. With the growth of the electric vehicle market challenging the traditional forecourt model, more retailers are looking to innovate to stay relevant to a demanding modern consumer.
Today (28th June) new provisions come into force to make attacking an individual who serves the public, including shopworkers, an aggravated offence. This was introduced in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act.
Figures from the ACS 2022 Crime Report show that in the last year, 89% of colleagues working in convenience stores have faced abuse in their job, with over 35,000 incidents of violence taking place and over 16,000 incidents including the use of a weapon.
The Bank of England will be withdrawing legal tender status of the paper £20 and £50 notes after 30 September 2022, and we are encouraging anyone who has these at home to spend or deposit them at their bank or Post Office.
There’s just two weeks until this year’s Power, Mobility and Convenience Conference, taking place online on 5th July from 10:00am.
This year’s conference will explore how the UK’s 7,000+ forecourts can adapt and change in the future on the road to Net Zero, as well as looking at new and emerging store formats. With the growth of the electric vehicle market challenging the traditional forecourt model, more retailers are looking to innovate to stay relevant to a demanding modern consumer.
It’s not often I see something in our sector that truly makes my jaw drop. I’ve done this job for a while now, and for the most part great convenience retailing is about executing the fundamentals, realising marginal efficiency gains, implementing lots of small innovations and showing respect towards your colleagues and customers. Retailers who do this are inspiring, for sure, but it’s rare that I see something really new.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is reminding retailers about the upcoming changes to the tobacco track and trace system.
From Monday 13th June 2022, retailers should have received an email from Dentsu about the changes from the previous tobacco track system to De La Rue (DLR) over to the Dentsu system.
Retailers will also receive a second email between 20th June and 1st July 2022 and it is important that retailers do not delete this email, as this registers businesses on the live system.
The Welsh Government has launched a new strategy to regenerate the retail sector in Wales, outlining the challenges faced by retail businesses in Wales.
The shared strategic vision for the retail sector sets out how the Welsh Government, the sector and trade unions will work together in partnership to ensure that the retail sector has a bright and sustainable future in Wales.
The vision identifies key areas where action is needed, these include:
Entries are now open for this year’s Raj Aggarwal Trophy, a trophy awarded to retailers who have been exceptional in community retailing and helping their fellow retailers.
The trophy was first launched in 2021 to mark the legacy of independent retailer Raj Aggarwal.
Applications are welcome from any convenience store operator, independent retailers and managers of multiple-owned outlets and you can also nominate a retailer who you think is deserving of the award.
To enter, applicants must submit a short film (maximum 5 minutes), which will show:
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is encouraging retailers to promote the digital Healthy Start scheme in stores.
Healthy Start is a government scheme for those who are at least 10 weeks pregnant, parents, carers and young children in low-income families, to help them buy healthy food and milk and get free Healthy Start vitamins. It is a digital scheme that offers a prepaid card to those applying for Healthy Start instead of paper vouchers.
