Join us at our Heart of the Community Conference and Reception, taking place on 2nd September at the House of Commons Attlee Suite and Terrace Pavilion.

Heart of the Community 2025 is our biggest political event of the year, giving retailers an opportunity to engage directly with MPs on the issues that matter to local shops, and suppliers a chance to learn more about changes to regulations and the climate of our sector.

We will be launching the 2025 Local Shop Report at the conference, which provides a detailed overview of the stores that trade in our sector, the retailers and colleagues that run them, and the customers and communities that we serve. The launch will hear from an expert panel of retailers that will be discussing the findings and what they mean for the sector going forward.

The panel will be followed by an exclusive address from the New Statement’s Rachel Cunliffe on how the new Government has been performing this year, with speeches from High Streets Minister Alex Norris MP and Shadow Local Government Secretary Kevin Hollinrake MP.

The conference will be followed by an exclusive parliamentary drinks reception on the House of Commons Terrace Pavilion, where a Government Minister will be presenting the 2025 Raj Aggarwal Trophy for outstanding community retailing.

Places are limited at the event, so make sure you secure your place here.