News

ACS is supporting the Bank of England Banknote Checking Scheme aimed at helping cash-handling businesses, like convenience stores, to check banknotes at the point of sale. ACS’ Crime Guidance 2017 found that the most common counterfeit notes offered in convenience stores were the English £20 banknote and the Scottish £20 banknote.

Further to yesterday’s Budget announcement, the Low Pay Commission has published its report and recommendations on the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates. The Government has accepted the recommendations and the rates will be introduced from April 2018 as per the list below.

Wage Rates to apply from 1st April 2018

Responding to today’s Budget James Lowman, ACS chief executive said : “Taken overall, this budget will have a net positive effect on local shops, which is good news for these important businesses and the communities they serve.”

ACS has welcomed the Chancellor’s action on more frequent business rates revaluations and moving annual indexation to CPI inflation, James Lowman said:

ACS is calling on retailers to share their experiences of retail crime over the last 12 months as part of the association's Crime Survey 2018.

The survey asks retailers to outline the number of incidents of crime they have experienced in their store, including shop theft, robberies and anti-social behavioural incidents. The survey also considers the causes of these crimes and the measures retailers have in place to prevent crime in their stores.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said:

The Association of Convenience Stores has reiterated its concerns about the impact that deposit return schemes would have on the convenience sector and overall recycling rates in a submission to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 

In the submission, ACS highlights that deposit return schemes would have significant implications for the convenience sector, increasing queueing times, posing health and safety risks for staff, and reducing the amount of space available in store.

Independent retailers Kully and Sandy Sandhu hosted a visit with Nottingham North MP Alex Norris, discussing their concerns about deposit return schemes on retailers and the impact that the business rates revaluation had on their store.

The Nisa Heathfield store was established in 2011 after retailers’ Kully and Sandy converted the site from a derelict pub. The store currently employs 12 people and offers an extensive range of fresh produce, food to go, National Lottery and services such as Click and Collect.

The All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group has confirmed Ruth George MP as its new chair at the group’s Annual General Meeting today.

Ruth George is the Labour MP for High Peak in Derbyshire, having been elected to Parliament in the 2017 General Election.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to take further action to ensure that local authorities distribute rate relief properly after it was revealed that over 100 authorities were yet to issue amended bills to businesses.

The list, published this week by the Department of Communities and Local Government, shows that as of 13 November, 110 local authorities have not rebilled businesses to reflect the £300m discretionary relief scheme announced in the Spring Budget earlier this year.

The Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally cleared the proposed merger between Tesco and Booker in a statement published this morning.

In its’ statement, the CMA finds that “the merger may not be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets for goods or services in the UK.”

ACS has outlined its support for Usdaw’s annual Respect for Shopworkers Week, highlighting the importance of crimes against retailers being taken seriously by local police forces.