News

There are now less than two weeks until the the old paper £10 note is removed from circulation. The notes will cease to be legal tender on March 1st 2018.

The new polymer £10 note was issued on 14 September 2017, features Jane Austen and is 132mm x 69mm. The current paper £10 note features Charles Darwin and is 142mm x 75mm.

The Association of Convenience Stores is delighted to announce the line-up of speakers that have been chosen to present at the Technology Showcase on 20^th February at the Library of Birmingham. Showcasing some of the newest technology in the sector, the ACS Technology Showcase aims to provide insight into a rapidly changing sector and enable retailers to understand how technology can be used to improve and grow their business.

We had a really great day in Cardiff last week, launching the Welsh Local Shop Report which gives all the facts and figures on the contribution that our members make to communities and the economy in Wales.  It’s a really positive story: more store per head than any other part of the UK, 25,000 jobs, £49m of investment, and a higher proportion of that going into providing essential services like post offices and free-to-use ATMs.

ACS chief executive James Lowman will share insights from the c-store sector with specialist deli and farm shop operators at Fine Food Show North, the three-day trade show at Harrogate’s Yorkshire Event Centre in February.

Lowman will join a panel of retail experts including ex-Selfridges buyer Scott Winston and food regulation lawyer Gaile Walters of LawBites for a free, two-hour retail workshop, Q&A and mentoring session.

Convenience stores in Wales have invested over £49m in improving their businesses over the last year, according to new figures released by the Association of Convenience Stores today.

The ACS 2018 Welsh Local Shop Report outlines the huge contribution that convenience stores in Wales make to their local communities, as an employer, and to the Welsh economy.

On February 20^th ACS will be hosting the Technology Showcase and HostedOne2Ones at The Library of Birmingham

The Technology Showcase provides an exclusive insight into the new and exciting innovations which retailers can use to improve their customers’ shopping experience and help to the day to day running of their store. Click here to book your free place.

ACS has condemned a move from LINK, which has today confirmed that it will reduce the interchange fee for card transactions by 5p over the next four years.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Banks have been cutting back their own branch networks, and now they are reducing the interchange fees that fund the network of ATMs provided by retailers and private companies in places that banks have abandoned.  We are concerned that this will lead to a reduction in the number of ATMs, and their reach and accessibility for all types of communities.

Two things I was involved with last week revealed a surprising connection.  One was the launch of the ACS Rural Shop Report, and the other was a chat with Henry Armour, my counterpart at NACS in the USA, who was over here looking at some stores.  Bear with me while I explain how these things are linked.

The UK’s rural shops have invested over £315m over the last year, introducing services like contactless payment, in-store bakeries and Post Office counters to meet the needs of customers in rural areas.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales has been published by the Office for National Statistics, showing rising shop theft on the convenience sector. 

The survey, which covers the year to September 2017, revealed that there has been an 10% increase in the number of shop thefts to 383,178 instances. This marks the second consecutive year of increases, despite an overall decline in the level of crime.