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Book your place as ACS’ unmissable annual conference taking place on 9^th September 2020.

Summit20 will be taking place as a virtual immersive event with three main sessions:

1. Leading experts talking about the future of the industry, asking how we can support colleagues working in stores, and what the food offer of the future looks like. Confirmed speakers addressing these issues in the context of an industry changed by the Covid crisis include:

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Today (27^th July) the Government announced plans to ban ‘buy one get one free’ promotions and restrict the siting of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products as part of its national strategy for tackling obesity.

The strategy outlines measures, some of which have previously been consulted on and introduces new measures in light of the links between obesity and Covid-19 deaths.

Book your place as ACS’ unmissable annual conference taking place on 9^th September 2020.

Summit20 will be taking place as a virtual immersive event with three main sessions:

1. Leading experts talking about the future of the industry, asking how we can support colleagues working in stores, and what the food offer of the future looks like. Confirmed speakers addressing these issues in the context of an industry changed by the Covid crisis include:

Retailers have issued a plea to customers look under 25 to work with them to check their age by removing their face coverings when buying age restricted products, such as alcohol and tobacco.

The Retail of Alcohol Standards Group (RASG) has today issued a new poster alerting customers that look under 25 that they may be asked to remove their face coverings to help check their age. The new poster has been issued in response to new government regulations requiring the mandatory use of face coverings in retail stores from Friday 24^th July.

ACS has welcomed new laws being laid in parliament which aim to make it easier to repurpose commercial and retail space.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the publication of the long-awaited call for evidence on reform of the business rates system.

The call for evidence, which will be open to submissions until 31^st October, considers several areas of the business rates system and calls for views on how the system can be reformed, including whether:

ACS has launched a new poster for retailers to help communicate the new rules on face coverings that come into force later this week.

From Friday July 24^th, wearing a face covering will be compulsory in shops in England. The rules do not extend to colleagues in stores, although the Government strongly recommends that colleagues wear a face covering where possible.

There are a number of exemptions for people who are not able to wear a face covering, which are detailed on the poster. These include:

In its evidence to the Low Pay Commission, ACS has outlined convenience retailers’ concerns about the impact that rising wage costs will have on the local, flexible and secure jobs offered by the convenience sector.

I’m not the first person to note that the Covid-19 crisis has shaken up politics. After the December 2019 election, we were expecting to be dealing with a government populated by libertarians and putting great faith in the free market and personal responsibility. The one thing we didn’t expect Boris Johnson to be accused of was operating a nanny state, but that’s exactly the charge being levelled by some now.