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Londis retailer Dharmesh Patel hosted a store visit with Mike Reader MP in his constituency Northampton South, to highlight the positive impact that local shops have on their communities and the support that these businesses need ahead of the Autumn Budget.

The visit began with a tour around the store and then discussions about the significant impact that crime has on local shops and the communities that they serve and the tough trading environment that retailers are currently facing.

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on Delivering a Best for Wales Deposit Return Scheme in Wales which includes plans to add glass to the deposit-based scheme already being planned from day one, and to overlay a system where more reusable drinks containers are collected for re-filling.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a new campaign to help retailers communicate the recommended age restrictions on slush drinks containing glycerol.

The FSA recently updated its advice on the age recommendation for slush drinks which contain high levels of glycerol to help keep the ice frozen, stating that children under the age of seven should not be consuming the drinks, and that children under ten should not be offered free refills.

Applications are now open for the GroceryAid School Essentials Grant, which is designed to help people currently working in grocery and is supported by the Leverhulme Charities Trust.

Eligible applicants may receive £150 per school-age child, for up to three children per household. Applications are open until 5pm on Thursday 5th June, and successful applicants will be selected at random from those who have submitted all required information and meet the criteria below:

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is delighted to announce the appointment of two award-winning retailers to its Independent Board – Natalie Lightfoot (Londis Solo Convenience) and Jack Matthews (Bradley’s Supermarkets).

Natalie has owned and run Londis Solo Convenience store since Dec 2006. She now runs the store with her husband and has set up a pioneering mental health programme called ‘Retailers for Retailers’.