Tickets are available for this year’s Local Shop Report launch, taking place on 11th September at the National Space Centre in Leicester. ACS’ flagship report will provide a detailed look at the convenience sector and the innovative services and features offered by stores to their local communities.
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ACS Encourages Small Retailers to Introduce Voluntary Charge for Plastic Bags
Following the latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs on the number of single-use plastic bags sold in England, ACS is encouraging small retailers to introduce a voluntary charge for plastic bags.
Latest figures suggest that there has been a 86% drop in the number of plastic bags sold in the 7 largest supermarkets in England since the plastic bag charge was introduced in 2015.
The figures also revealed that the 5p plastic bag sales have contributed nearly £60m toward charities and other good causes.
Book Now for Heart of the Community 2018!
Bookings are now open for ACS’ unmissable political event, The Heart of the Community Conference 2018, which will offer retailers key insights into how the latest political agenda could impact their businesses.
The conference has moved to a new venue at the heart of Westminster, 1 Birdcage Walk, taking place on 16th October. The conference will bring together retailers from across the country to address the policy issues that really matter for the sector, focusing on tackling retail crime, acting on the environment and the future of work in the sector.
ACS Calls on Retailers to Write to their Police and Crime Commissioners on Impact of Shop Theft
ACS is urging retailers to write to their Police and Crime Commissioners, highlighting the problems that crime cause in their store and calling on them to pledge to ensure that police forces take shop theft and abuse of staff seriously.
The pledges that PCCs are being asked to sign up to include:
Payment Systems Regulator Launches Market Review into Card Payment Fees
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the publication of terms of reference for a market review into the supply of card payment services from the Payment Systems Regulator.
The review will look at the fees that are charged to merchants (retailers) by acquirers such as WorldPay, Barclaycard and others. This fee, known as the merchant service charge rate, includes the interchange fee (capped by EU regulations), profit for the acquirer, and card scheme fees which are currently unregulated.
Plunkett Foundation Launches 2018 Rural Community Ownership Awards
The Plunkett Foundation are encouraging rural community owned businesses to enter the Community Ownership Awards which have been launched to celebrate the successes made by community owned enterprises throughout the UK.
C-Sector Bodies Give Evidence to Low Pay Commission on Impact of Wage Increases
Trade associations representing the UK convenience sector have given oral evidence to the Low Pay Commission, detailing how retailers have responded to recent increases in the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.
The evidence session featured the Association of Convenience Stores, the Scottish Grocers Federation and Retail NI providing information to the Commission on how wage increases have impacted productivity in the sector, the impact on employment practices, and how wage increases have affected other areas of the business such as the price of goods.
ONS Figures Reveal 3% Increase In Shop Theft over Last Year
The Office for National Statistics has released figures on crime in England and Wales for the year ending March 2018, reporting a 3% increase in the number of shop theft offences to 382,100 over the last year.
Regionally, London has seen the biggest decrease in shop theft incidents with a fall of 2%, while the North East has seen the biggest increase, with 12% more shop theft incidents than the previous year.
ACS Welcomes APPG Recommendations on New Illicit Trade Group
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Illicit Trade, which recommends the creation of a dedicated UK Anti-Illicit Trade Group.
The UK Anti-Illicit Trade Group would include representatives from law enforcement, government, trade associations and other industry groups with the aim of preventing the illicit trade, raising awareness of the dangers of illicit products, and ensuring that enforcement against the illicit trade is effective.
Concha y Toro: WineWise 2.0 Goes Live
ACS supplier member Concha y Toro has relaunched WineWise, a free category guide which aims to help independent retailers with wine sales.