News

ACS’ Security Showcase, taking place on 21st November at the bet365 Stadium in Stoke, will give retailers the opportunity to hear from suppliers about the latest crime prevention equipment and how it could reduce crime in their stores.

This new event for 2018 will begin by providing an insight into the extent and types of retail crime against the sector and the challenges retailers face in tackling these issues. There will then be presentations from suppliers of crime prevention equipment exploring the latest solutions and how they could benefit retailers and their stores.

The ACS HostedOne2Ones event, taking place on December 12^th at One Park Crescent in London, is a business speed dating experience giving retailers the opportunity to have short meetings with our Premier Club and Club suppliers and start negotiating the best deals.

This event allows our Premier Club and Club suppliers to meet with retailers and gain an increased understanding of the convenience sector and is an opportunity for retailers to build new and exciting relationships with some of the biggest suppliers within the sector.

ACS has welcomed the launch of a consultation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which is considering a ban on plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers.

The consultation notes that in England alone, consumers use an estimated 4.7bn plastic straws, 316m plastic stirrers and 1.8bn plastic-stemmed cotton buds. A proposed ban on these items would come into force at some point between October 2019 and October 2020.

The weeks leading up to Halloween and Bonfire Night (5^th November) often provide great opportunities for convenience store retailers to maximise their sales through seasonal products. However, there are a few things that retailers should take into consideration during the autumn months. ACS has produced Assured Advice Guides to support retailers with ‘Preventing Underage Sales’ and ‘Selling Fireworks’.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the publication of the Office for National Statistics annual Crime Survey for England and Wales, highlighting the significant issues retailers and their staff face when dealing with shop theft.

According to the ONS survey, the number of police recorded shop theft incidents for the year ending June 2018 has reached 382,706, a 1% increase on the previous year. The survey also reports a significant increase in the number of violent offences recorded, increasing by 19% over the last year to 1.4million.

Small Business Minister Kelly Tolhurst MP has commended the work of retailers and their staff in the convenience sector, highlighting the positive impact that they have on their local communities and affirming the government’s commitment to support local shops. 

The Minister appeared at the Association of Convenience Stores’ Heart of the Community reception to celebrate the progress that has been made on providing healthier choices for customers, tackling loneliness in isolated communities and developing the skills of young people through apprenticeships. 

ACS chief executive James Lowman has called on the government to recognise the importance of domestic issues like crime, employment costs and the convenience sector’s role in helping protect the environment. 

Representatives from the retail sector have told the Cross Party Group on Small Shops in Wales of the serious human and financial cost of crimes committed against retailers and the people working in stores.

The meeting of the CPG on Small Shops heard from representatives from the Association of Convenience Stores, the Welsh Retail Consortium, the Shopworkers Union USDAW and Gwent Police on the impact of shop theft, violence and abuse on the retail sector, as well as ways that the police and justice system can do more to tackle and prevent retail crime.

ACS has welcomed a bill tabled in parliament to protect retail workers who sell age restricted products. 

Labour MP Alex Norris, proposing the Assaults on Retail Workers (Offences) Bill on Tuesday evening, told ministers that retail staff who police the sale of restricted items such as alcohol and knives need extra legal protections, and that those choosing to attack retail workers should face "greater punishment”.

ACS has given evidence to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s inquiry on high streets, explaining the need for retail businesses to invest and change, and calling for reform of business rates to incentivise this investment.