We are just over a month away from ACS Summit18, the unmissable and leading industry event for the convenience sector. This year’s conference will take place at The Vox, Resorts World, Birmingham on the 17th of April.
ACS’ Summit is the annual premier convenience store event, bringing together hundreds of retailers, suppliers and industry experts from around the globe in a debate about the future of the convenience store industry in the UK.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, welcoming measures to bring forward more frequent business rates revaluations to 2021, with revaluations every three years thereafter and confirms that the Valuation Office Agency will continue to value premises instead of self assessment.
The Chancellor had previously announced that business rates revaluations would become more frequent in his 2017 Autumn Budget, but this was scheduled to take place from 2022. Today’s announcement brings those plans forward by 12 months.
The 2018 Crime Seminar will feature a first look at the 2018 Crime Report, detailing the impact of crime on the convenience sector from shop theft and fraud to abuse, violent incidents and burglaries.
The Seminar will also see the launch of new guidance which has been designed to help staff in stores mitigate the impact of crime.
The charity Crimestoppers and The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) are today offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the aggravated robbery of a Hampshire service station.
The incident happened on February 17th at around 4.25am at the Esso garage at Stoney Cross on the westbound carriageway of the A31, which saw one of two staff members working that morning assaulted with a crowbar. The victim was treated for a head injury at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
The Supporting Entrepreneurship Inquiry held its second evidence session in the National Assembly for Wales on 7th March, taking evidence directly from a range of Welsh Entrepreneurs and business organisations.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has launched a new Retail Sector Council to address challenges faced by the retail industry. The group, made up of senior leaders from the industry, will be co-chaired by retail minister Andrew Griffiths MP and Richard Pennycook, chair of Fenwick and the British Retail Consortium, and former CEO at the Co-op.
There's been a lot of debate recently about the sale of energy drinks to children. It's interesting to see the dynamics of this issue: Jamie Oliver, buoyed by his success in persuading the government to introduce a levy on sugary drinks, has now turned his sights directly to the retailers who sell high caffeine drinks. How do you, as a retailer, and we, as a trade body, respond to such a campaign?
ACS has welcomed energy regulator Ofgem’s announcement of a mandatory 12-month limit on backbilling for microbusinesses.
Ofgem’s announcement states: ‘Many suppliers have signed up to, or follow, a voluntary agreement not to backbill customers past 12 months. However, the voluntary agreement does not cover all suppliers, and those that have signed up do not always follow this agreement. Ofgem, which consulted on this issue last year, has decided to ban all domestic and microbusiness suppliers from issuing backbills for energy used more than 12 months ago.’
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed comments from the Exchequer Secretary, who said that the Government would hold LINK to account on their commitment to do ‘whatever it takes’ to protect the broad geographic spread of ATMs.
March 1st (Thursday) is the last day until the old £10 note is removed from circulation. The notes will cease to be legal tender after this date.
The new polymer £10 note was issued on 14 September 2017, features Jane Austen and is 132mm x 69mm. The current paper £10 note features Charles Darwin and is 142mm x 75mm.
