News

Book your place at the ACS Technology Showcase 2019, taking place on February 5th in Birmingham.

This popular event brings the best UK convenience retailers together to hear exclusive insights into news and innovative developments in technology which retailers can use in their stores to improve their customers’ shopping experience and help with the day to day running of the store.

Suppliers also have the chance to exhibit their exciting innovations to retailers.

Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins has agreed to meet with retail representative bodies and trade unions to discuss violence against retailers and shopworkers following amendments tabled to the Offence Weapons Bill by David Hanson MP.

In a letter to the Treasury, ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is calling for the implementation of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT to be delayed until 2020, following a report from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub Committee.

MTD is changing the way retailers submit their VAT return from April 2019, requiring them to keep their VAT records digitally and use software to submit returns. The policy reforms aim to reduce the tax gap and help businesses have a more accurate overview of their tax affairs.

The Low Pay Commission has published a report outlining their recommendations for the April 2019 National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates. The report evaluates the impact of the NLW so far and found that as many as 5 million people benefited from the increase in April 2018.

ACS is encouraging convenience store retailers to get involved in Small Business Saturday 2018, taking place on December 1^st.

Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots campaign which actively encourages shoppers to ‘shop local’ and support the small businesses in their local communities. The campaign is now in its sixth year and aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses.

Last year’s campaign was the most successful yet, and highlights included:

The ACS HostedOne2Ones event, taking place on December 12^th at One Park Crescent in London, is a business speed dating experience giving retailers the opportunity to have short meetings with our Premier Club and Club suppliers and start negotiating the best deals.

This event allows our Premier Club and Club suppliers to meet with retailers and gain an increased understanding of the convenience sector and is an opportunity for retailers to build new and exciting relationships with some of the biggest suppliers within the sector.

ACS has welcomed a report from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee, which urges HMRC to delay the mandatory introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT from April 2019 until at least 2020.

MTD is changing the way retailers submit their VAT returns, requiring them to keep their VAT records digitally and use software to submit returns. The policy reforms aim to reduce the tax gap and help businesses have a more accurate overview of their tax affairs.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation which proposed to introduce a legal age restriction for energy drinks.  

In the submission, ACS set out that if the government decides to introduce a legal age restriction for energy drinks that they will work with the government to promote compliance in the convenience sector through its Assured Advice scheme, which is approved by Surrey and Buckinghamshire Trading Standards.

ACS is calling on retailers to share their experiences of retail crime over the last 12 months as part of the annual ACS Crime Survey 2019.

The survey looks at the impact that crime is having on retailers’ businesses, including the number of incidents they have experienced and how much crime has cost their business in the last 12 months. The survey also considers the causes of these crimes and the measures retailers have in place to prevent crime in their stores.

So what do you think’s going to happen, then? No deal, no Brexit, Theresa May’s deal, or some other option as yet undefined? It’s a big part of ACS’ job to be the fulcrum between what happens in politics and what happens in your business, and I think we’re pretty good at providing new and informed analysis to you, and giving credible and evidence-based input to government when it comes to issues related to our sector. On Brexit, frankly, this is a lot harder. It’s the biggest, and certainly the most fever-pitched debate and development in British politics in a generation, and one which cert