News

The 2019 ACS Forecourt Conference is the unmissable event for those interested in fuel retailing and the future of the sector. This year’s event is taking place on 11th Julyat the King Power Stadium in Leicester.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is supporting the first ever World Food Safety Day (7^th June), and is reminding retailers about their safety and hygiene responsibilities when selling food.

The Cross-Party Group on Small Shops has called on the Government to focus on reforming the business rates system so that it encourages retailers to invest and improve their businesses during a meeting in the National Assembly for Wales today (June 5^th).

The meeting was attended by AMs, Welsh Government officials and independent retailers from across Wales, and heard from Rebecca Evans AM – Minister for Finance and Trefnydd on what the Welsh Government is doing to help small businesses with their rates bills.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the launch of a new Government campaign aimed at educating drivers about fuel labels on fuel sites.

From today, fuel sites across the UK will start rolling out new labels which will help drivers issue identify fuels and reduce misfuelling. New regulations legally require additional labelling to be introduced on all fuel dispensers and nozzles in all UK filling stations by 1st September 2019.

ACS is celebrating the work of the convenience sector in reducing waste and helping the environment on World Environment Day (June 5^th).

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched the latest set of its industry leading Assured Advice guides at the 2019 Responsible Retailing Forum.

ACS works with Surrey/Bucks Trading Standards to provide comprehensive advice for members that if followed, must be respected by enforcement authorities. Assured Advice is backed by the Government to help businesses avoid confusion over different interpretations of the law in different areas across England and Wales. To date, over 3,500 retailers have signed up to Assured Advice.

The Government has received approval from the Supreme Court to appeal a £300 million court dispute over business rate bills for cash machines outside shops.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is set to challenge a ruling from the Court of Appeal which confirmed that through the wall ATMs should not be subject to a separate business rates assessment.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a new report from the Resolution Foundation which examines the extent of low pay across the economy.

The ‘Low Pay Britain’ report notes that the number of low-paid workers across Britain fell by almost 200,000 last year, including over 130,000 women and 120,000 people aged 21-30 (despite under 25s not being legally entitled to the NLW).

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) welcomes the Home Office’s announcement that charges for calls to the 101 police non-emergency number will be dropped.

Currently, callers to the 101 number are connected to their local police force or a force of their choice at a cost of 15p a time. Today’s announcement (28^th May) means that the number will be free of charge to call for all members of the public from April 2020.

ACS has produced new guidance to support retailers prepare for the F-Gas service ban which comes into effect on 1^st January 2020. 

The EU Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulation (also known as the EU F-Gas Regulation), will ban the use of refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2,500 or more in certain refrigeration units. It will also ban refrigeration technicians from servicing these units.