ACS is encouraging convenience store retailers to get involved in Small Business Saturday 2015, taking place this year on December 5th.
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities.The day itself takes place on the first shopping Saturday in December each year.
The Association of Convenience Stores has reacted to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, welcoming the extension of small business rate relief but raising concerns about business rates devolution and the lack of detail on overall rate reform.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to extending small business rate relief in 2016; this is a measure that helps businesses to the tune of over £1bn each year and is essential in giving local shops the opportunity to invest in their staff, property and services.
ACS is calling on retailers to share their experiences of retail crime over the last 12 months as part of the Crime Survey 2016.
The survey asks retailers to outline the number of incidents of crime they have experienced, including shop theft, robberies and anti-social behavioural incidents. The survey also looks into the causes of these crimes and what measures retailers have in place to prevent crime from happening in their stores.
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to figures on business rate reliefs released today by the Department for Communities and Local Government, calling for an extension of the business rate discount for small businesses.
The figures show that local authorities granted £1,061 million in relief under the Small Business Rate Relief scheme in 2014-15, up 7.7% on the previous year. Additionally, the amount of relief granted to empty premises fell 4.2% to £947m.
Community Alcohol Partnerships have today published a report, Progress through Partnerships: Creating Safer Communities, showing the positive impacts that the 88 CAPs in place across the UK have had on crime, anti-social behavior, litter, residents’ feelings of safety and underage/proxy purchasing.
Some of the successes of Community Alcohol Partnerships include:
Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has met with independent retailer Clive Sheppard at his SPAR store on Magdalen Road to talk about the issues affecting his business and the proposed changes to Sunday trading regulations.
The community focussed store is located in a vibrant shopping district a short distance away from the City Centre. Trade declined significantly some three years ago when a supermarket opened nearby, but has now risen back to previous levels following an extensive investment in refitting the store and introducing new categories.
The Association of Convenience Stores has outlined the damage that devolution of Sunday trading laws will have on jobs and the economy.
In evidence submitted to Government last month, ACS cites research conducted by Oxford Economics, who have calculated that if implemented by councils across England and Wales, extended Sunday trading hours would cost small shops in excess of £870m whilst generating no extra revenue for the economy overall, leading to a net loss of 3,270 jobs across the retail industry.
ACS has welcomed a letter from campaign group Keep Sunday Special and Conservative MPs, outlining their support for the existing Sunday trading regulations.
The letter, published in the Telegraph today (11 November), details a list of 20 MPs who have called on the Government to drop the controversial plans to devolve Sunday trading powers to local authorities.
Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers has outlined his support for retaining the existing Sunday trading regulations in a visit to a SPAR store in Humberston operated by Blakemore Retail.
Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers has outlined his support for retaining the existing Sunday trading regulations in a visit to a SPAR store in Humberston operated by Blakemore Retail.
