News
ACS Welcomes New HMRC Alcohol Strategy
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed HMRC’s new Alcohol Strategy, aimed at tackling the illicit trade in alcohol.
The strategy consists of three main parts:
Read MoreCrime Costs Each Local Shop £3,750 a Year
The 2016 ACS Crime Report has revealed that crime against local shops is costing an estimated £122m, or £2,370 per store. On top of this, the average store is investing £1,379 in crime prevention. The total costs of crime and crime prevention equate to the cost of employing over 12,000 additional full time staff in stores.
Read MoreBudget Reaction: ACS Welcomes Increase in Small Business Rate Relief
ACS has welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement that the small business rate relief threshold will be raised to £15,000 rateable value from £6,000.
In the Budget, the Chancellor also announced that from 2020, future business rates increases will be based on CPI rather than RPI, which should lead to less steep increases in rates bills for retailers.
Read MoreBudget 2016: Chancellor Urged to Reintroduce Rate Relief for Local Shops
ACS has called on the Chancellor to reintroduce the Retail Rate Relief scheme for small businesses as part of a package of measures to help local shops and high streets.
In its submission to the Chancellor’s Budget on March 16th, ACS has called for the following:
Read MoreChief Executive's Blog: What Should Retailers Expect from the Budget?
There’s plenty of discussion in the media about business rates policy, with most retail and wider business groups agreeing there needs to be a change to the way rates are calculated and collected (see businesses organisations agreed position here). But what specifics should we expect, or hope for, when the Chancellor stands up on Wednesday?
Read MoreLocal Shops Welcome Parliament's Decision to Retain Sunday Trading Laws
Local shops across the UK have welcomed parliament’s decision to reject changes to Sunday trading laws in vote on the Enterprise Bill this afternoon.
The proposals, which would have seen local councils given the power to remove Sunday trading hours in their local area, were rejected by 317 votes to 286 as MPs supported David Burrowes campaign to retain the existing laws.
Read MoreLast Minute Impact Assessment Nothing More than Advocacy Document
Hours before MPs are set to vote on the future of Sunday trading regulations in England and Wales, the Government have published its impact assessment on the proposals.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “This so-called impact assessment does nothing more than reiterate the Government’s shoddy decade old evidence for change, whilst continuing to ignore the concerns of shop workers, retailers and consumers. For the Government to release this assessment mere minutes before the debate on Sunday trading is a disgrace.”
Read MoreMPs Urged to Vote Against Chaotic Sunday Trading Proposals
Campaign group Keep Sunday Special have reissued their calls to MPs to vote against proposals to devolve Sunday trading hours to local authorities, highlighting the failure of Government officials to go through a legitimate and robust consultation process in making their decision.
Read MoreMinister 'Misleading' Over Mystery Sunday Trading Amendment
Keep Sunday Special have urged MPs not to be taken in by reports that government plans to devolve Sunday trading decisions to local authorities will only be applied to high streets.
While Mr Lewis has suggested in an article in the Telegraph that there had been a ‘last minute change’ to the plans which will benefit town centres over out of town locations, there are in fact no clauses in the Enterprise Bill that ensure or even promote the use of these new powers for high street or town centre locations.
Read MoreACS Calls on MPs to Reject Shambolic Sunday Trading Plans
ACS has called on MPs to reject an amendment tabled in the Enterprise Bill on Sunday Trading that will damage the economy and devastate small shops.
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