News

The ACS Investment Tracker has revealed a mixed picture of investment in Britain’s local shops.  Convenience stores across the UK have invested a record £210m in store improvements in the past three months, driven by multiple convenience retailers spending  around £9,500 per store.  However, investment levels among independent retailers have fallen to their lowest level since the survey began in 2012.

The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations for minimum wage rates for 2016-17, with the new rates to apply from October 1st.

The rates applicable for those aged 25 or under are set out below. For those over 25 the national living wage – currently £7.20 – will apply. The Low Pay Commission will make recommendations this Autumn on the rate of the National Living Wage to apply from April 2017.

The new rates are as follows:

ACS has reiterated its calls to Government to remove the exemption for small businesses on single use carrier bags in England.

Under the current regulations, small businesses with fewer than 250 employees are exempt from the carrier bag charging regulations, meaning that they do not have to charge 5p for single use bags. However, many stores have introduced a charge voluntarily to raise money for local causes. These rules only apply in England, as in Scotland and Wales the bag charge applies to all businesses regardless of size.

ACS has confirmed the appointment of Patrick Sewell and Debbie Robinson as chair and deputy chair respectively.

Patrick will take on the chairmanship of ACS from 1 November 2016, having served as deputy chair since 2014. Patrick will replace Palmer and Harvey Group Strategy and Development Director Paul Hagon as chair, who remains on the ACS board.

Janet Finch-Saunders AM has been re-elected as Chairperson of the Cross Party Group on Small Shops in the Welsh Assembly.

MP for Nuneaton Marcus Jones has visited a Heron Foods store on Nuneaton high street to discuss access to high streets and business rates.

The trade association representing local shops, and one of Britain’s biggest charities supporting young people have teamed up to offer apprenticeships in the convenience store sector.  ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) which represents the UK’s 50,000 convenience stores employing 390,000 people, is working with Centrepoint to give these businesses easy access to the system of apprenticeships which is at the heart of the government’s skills strategy.

Centrepoint will work with ACS and its members to:

The 2016 Local Shop Report has revealed the essential role that convenience stores play in the modern retail landscape, with stores more relevant than ever before in consumer’s lives.

Published today by the Association of Convenience Stores, the report demonstrates the value that local shops provide their communities, both in terms of investment and making a positive difference to their local area. Key findings from the report include:

ACS chief executive James Lowman has called on the House of Lords Licensing Act Committee to retain the current licensing objectives as part of an evidence session in Parliament, urging the Committee to focus on retailers that are not abiding by the law instead of imposing new restrictions on responsible retailers.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has submitted evidence to the House of Lords Licensing Act Committee, urging the Committee to retain the current Licensing Act objectives and look at ways to reduce the regulatory burdens on retailers brought on by the Act.

In the submission, ACS outlines a number of ways in which the Licensing Act could be improved for licensees, including: