News

New pyrotechnics (fireworks) legislation has come into force today, making changes to firework retailer’s record keeping practices and displayed signage.

Retailers selling fireworks will now be required to keep a record of who they bought their fireworks from for the last ten years and keep ten years’ records when selling fireworks on to other businesses.

Camelot, operator of the National Lottery, will be providing retailers who currently have Scratchcard only terminals the opportunity to sell tickets for National Lottery draw-based games, such as Lotto and EuroMillions, through their current terminals from early next year.

Retailers will be able to sell the expanded range of games through their current Scratchcard terminal with the installation of a small printer and a software upgrade. Camelot will be contacting all Scratchcard only retailers over the coming months with more information about the scheme.

Keep Sunday Special has today launched a campaign to keep the popular Sunday trading laws, which help families, communities and small retailers.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, a wide range of Keep Sunday Special supporters have highlighted how a change to current Sunday shopping hours contravenes the Prime Minister's own family friendly policy agenda launched last year, bows to pressure from large retailers, and would cause confusion with different councils setting different local rules.

ACS is calling on retailers to respond its National Living Wage survey 2016 to inform the convenience sector’s response to Low Pay Commission’s call for evidence on minimum wage and the new living wage rates.

George Osborne announced that from April next year, a new living wage of £7.20 will be introduced.  The Low Pay Commission have asked for evidence on the impact that the national living wage will have on businesses and what the future National Minimum Wage should be for 2016.

ACS is pleased to announce that the parcel collection service, Parcelly, has joined as an Associate supplier.

Parcelly offers a flexible solution to solve last mile delivery problems by converting any local business into a parcel collection point. Being completely smartphone based, the service is extremely easy to set up and operate for Parcelly locations, allowing online shoppers to collect their purchases where and when they want.

Figures released by Government as part of a consultation on changes to Sunday Trading regulations have been dismissed as out of date and misleading.

In the consultation, Government uses the following statistics to justify its decision:

The Department for Business and the Department for Communities and Local Government have published a full consultation on plans to allow local authorities and metro mayors to increase the hours that larger shops can open on Sundays.

The Joint Alcohol Anti-Fraud Taskforce has published their 2015 annual report, outlining the progress being made by the task force in tackling the illicit alcohol trade.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The work of the task force is essential in the fight against the illicit alcohol trade, which costs around £1.3bn a year in lost revenue every year. Retailers who sell illicit alcohol are damaging legitimate businesses. Our position on these retailers is clear – they should lose their alcohol licence.”

Retail industry bodies the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) have called on local shop owners to write to their MPs explaining the negative impact that proposed changes to Sunday Trading regulations could have on their business.

The Association of Convenience Stores has urged the Low Pay Commission to fully consider the impact of the national living wage on local shops and other businesses after a consultation was published today seeking views on the issue.

The Commission’s consultation asks for views on the future rate of the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage, although the National Living Wage rate of £7.20 per hour for 2016 has already been dictated by the Chancellor in the 2015 Budget.