News

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is calling on retailers to fill in an online template to help them respond to the Home Office’s call for evidence on violence and abuse against shop staff.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) welcomes launch of the Great British High Street (GBHS) Awards 2019. The Government-run awards, in partnership with Visa, celebrate the nation’s leading high streets and recognise local achievements.

Entries for the GBHS Awards 2019 opened today (23^rd May) and a selection of 40 shortlisted finalists will be chosen by an independent judging panel and are eligible to win up to £15,000 for their local community.

ACS has given evidence to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy select committee outlining the challenges to the future of the Post Office Network and the convenience retailers that host them.

In a one-off evidence session of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s inquiry into the Post Office network, ACS urged the committee to consider the impact of increasing wage costs and changing consumer shopping habits.

ACS is encouraging all convenience store retailers that sell tobacco to apply for the codes they need to comply with track and trace regulations.

The regulations require retailers to have an Economic Operator Identifier Code (registered to their business) and a Facility Identifier Code (for each of their stores) in order to purchase compliant cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco products from 20th May 2019.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is calling on retailers to fill in an online template to help them respond to the Home Office’s call for evidence on violence and abuse against shop staff.

New research from the University of Bristol has found that two thirds of the cash machines that have started to charge customers in Bristol are located in some of the area's most deprived communities.

The research found that bank branches and free cash machines were concentrated in the more affluent parts of Bristol, while more deprived areas only had access to machines that were not run by banks, many of which had begun charging since October 2018.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a three crucially important proposals from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on: introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers, reforming the UK producer responsibility system and introducing a plastic packaging tax.

The consultations were launched following their commitment to consult in their Resources and Waste Strategy which was published last year.

The Treasury Committee has published its final report on consumer’s access to financial services, calling for access to cash and consumer choice to be protected.

In the report, the Committee outlines its support of the recommendations made in the Access to Cash review, and expresses its concern about the rate at which free to use ATMs have been closing. The report states that without action, the UK risks inadvertently becoming a cashless society and that ‘for a large portion of society, including some of the most vulnerable, this would have stark consequences’.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the findings of an on-the-go recycling trial in Leeds.

Leeds By Example, a campaign launched by environmental behaviour change charity Hubbub and recycling compliance scheme Ecosurety, has published the results of their six-month trial.

Book your place at this year’s Responsible Retailing Forum, taking place on 15th May at the King Power Stadium, Leicester from 10am until 3pm.

ACS’ Responsible Retailing Forum provides ACS members with the opportunity to hear from policy makers, retailers and other stakeholders about the latest compliance issues affecting the convenience sector as well as emerging policy issues. 

This year’s forum will focus on protecting the environment, local shops and healthy food and the future of regulation.