News

ACS is calling on all Police and Crime Commissioners to pledge to ensure that police forces take shop theft and abuse of staff seriously, and that they respond to incidents where they’re reported. 

The pledges that PCCs are being asked to sign up to include: 

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a new report from the Centre for Social Justice, "Desperate for a Fix"  which highlights the close link between drug addiction and theft, and calls for new policies to tackle the £6.3bn annual cost of shop theft.

ACS has welcomed the launch of a new app to help consumers identify car washes that could be exploiting their workers.

The app has been developed by the Clewer Initiative, the Church of England’s campaign against modern slavery, and the Santa Marta Group, the Catholic Church’s anti-slavery project.

ACS has called on the Low Pay Commission to ensure that future increases in wage rates do not negatively impact the labour market.  

Figures from the ACS Local Shop Report show that in the last three years, the number of jobs in the convenience sector has fallen from 407,000 in 2015 to 370,000 in 2017 despite the number of stores remaining stable.

Tickets are now available for this year’s Local Shop Report launch, taking place on 11th September at the National Space Centre in Leicester. ACS’ flagship report will provide a detailed look at the convenience sector and the innovative services and features offered by stores to their local communities. 

ACS has welcomed widespread support for a Bill in Scotland creating a new offence designed to protect shopworkers from violence.

Over 90% of respondents to the consultation put forward by Daniel Johnson MSP supported measures to create new offences to deter harassment, abuse and violence against staff triggered by asking customers for proof of age or denying sale of age-restricted products.

ACS has called for clarity from HMRC with less than twelve months to go until the introduction of ‘track and trace’ regulations for tobacco products.

The ‘track and trace’ proposals in the EU Revised Tobacco Products Directive, due be introduced in May 2019, will put in place a new method of tracking the sale of legitimate tobacco products through the supply chain. The introduction of ‘track and trace’ will place a number of demands on retailers.

The 2018 ACS/PRA Forecourt Conference is the must-attend event for anyone interested in fuel retailing. Taking place on 3^rd July at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, the Forecourt Conference is the perfect opportunity to discuss the sector and hear from industry experts about issues affecting forecourt retailers.

The forecourt sector is made up of over 8,400 stores and provides jobs to over 109,000 people. The conference will look at the future of forecourt convenience, opportunities for growth and the challenges they face.

GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulations) come into force tomorrow (25^th May), impacting all organisations handling personal information linked to EU residents. GDPR is a regulation drawn up by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission to give individuals more control over how their personal data is used online. 

Retailers need to be aware of the new regulations and ensure that they are compliant in terms of the personal data of their employees, suppliers and customers.

ACS is supporting a campaign to promote Disability Confident in retail. 

The retail sector is the largest employer in the UK. People are at the core of what retailers do. The sector needs a strong pool of talent to draw from, and to be able to support existing employees.

Skill shortages in the labour market mean that the competition to recruit and retain good people is high. Retailers need to explore all potential sources of talent and they need to have the know-how to make their businesses inclusive places to work.