News

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a report by the Communities and Local Government Select Committee criticising the application of planning policy by local authorities.  In its report on the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework, the Committee has drawn attention to shortcomings in the way planning decisions are reached, and has made a number of recommendations relating to town centres and retail planning, including:

Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe, spent Friday afternoon (15^th December) working hard in one of his constituent's award-winning convenience store. Raaj Chandarana invited his local MP to be part of his annual community Christmas party at the High Wycombe store, Tara's News, after meeting him at the ACS Heart of the Community event in October.

ACS is urging retailers to be prepared for the implementation of the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation coming into force today (13^th December).

The law will change the way customers need to be alerted to allergenic ingredients in food, especially loose foods or goods you package yourself. The law is designed to protect customers that suffer from allergic reactions to food, and will be enforced by Trading Standards Officers.  Breaches of the law may lead to enforcement action being taken against retailers.

The Department for Communities and Local Government yesterday (11^th December) launched their new report, ‘Celebrating the Great British High Street 2014’.

The report showcases some of the best high street projects from across the country and provides ideas that other towns could implement. The report, launched at an exclusive event in the Palace of Westminster, was produced off the back of this year’s Great British High Street awards’ entries and winners.

ACS is calling on retailers to share their experiences of retail crime over the last 12 months as part of the Crime Survey 2015.

The survey asks retailers to outline the number of incidents of crime in their store, including shop theft, robberies and anti-social behavioural incidents. The survey also looks into the causes of these crimes and what measures retailers have in place to prevent crime from happening in their stores.

New measures announced in the Finance Bill today will introduce an Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) in an attempt to tackle the illicit and non-duty paid alcohol market.

The AWRS will provide retailers and enforcement agencies with certainty about the legitimacy of alcohol wholesalers and make it more difficult for rogue wholesalers to sell illicit alcohol.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke MP, and the Minister responsible for business rates addressed the All Party Small Shops Group today in Westminster to discuss business rates in light of the Chancellor’s announcements in last week’s Autumn Financial Statement.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke MP will address the All Party Parliamentary Small Shops today on the Government’s action on business rates and support for small shops.

Simon Danczuk MP, Chairman of the Small Shops Group, said: “I am pleased the Minister is taking the time to speak to the Small Shops Group about business rates. We saw the Chancellor make a number of announcements in the Autumn Statement, but small shops are keen to understand more about what the Government’s commitment to long term reform will mean to them.”

On Friday (5th Dec), Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate in Surrey, popped in to his local shop to visit leading independent retailers, Dean and Russell Holborn, to discuss some of the key issues that have recently been affecting their business. Whilst there, Mr Blunt took advantage of Holborn’s Christmas offerings to order his Christmas tree and turkey.

Announcing business rates reform was the easy bit. Now the Chancellor has to work out what changes to this £26bn tax revenue stream will be fairer, pro-growth, fiscally responsible and popular.