Press Releases

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a consultation launched by Daniel Johnson MSP on plans for the creation of new offences designed to protect shopworkers from violence. The consultation explores the creation of 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 (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched the ACS National Living Wage Survey 2018 as part of its evidence gathering process for a submission to the Low Pay Commission.

The Low Pay Commission is consulting on what the rates for the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates should be from April 2019. The consultation will also consider the impact of a potential premium on top of existing wage rates to apply for working hours not guaranteed by an employment contract, following a recommendation from the Taylor Review into Modern Employment Practices.

Retail trade bodies the Association of Convenience Stores and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents have launched new materials to help small stores introduce a plastic bag charging scheme following the publication of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.  

The Association of Convenience Stores’ 2018 Crime Report has revealed a significant rise in the number of shop thefts committed against retailers over the last year, with shop theft increasingly being linked to aggressive behaviour towards retailers and their staff.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, welcoming measures to bring forward more frequent business rates revaluations to 2021, with revaluations every three years thereafter and confirms that the Valuation Office Agency will continue to value premises instead of self assessment.

The Chancellor had previously announced that business rates revaluations would become more frequent in his 2017 Autumn Budget, but this was scheduled to take place from 2022. Today’s announcement brings those plans forward by 12 months.

The charity Crimestoppers and The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) are today offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the aggravated robbery of a Hampshire service station.

The incident happened on February 17^th at around 4.25am at the Esso garage at Stoney Cross on the westbound carriageway of the A31, which saw one of two staff members working that morning assaulted with a crowbar. The victim was treated for a head injury at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

The Supporting Entrepreneurship Inquiry held its second evidence session in the National Assembly for Wales on 7th March, taking evidence directly from a range of Welsh Entrepreneurs and business organisations.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has launched a new Retail Sector Council to address challenges faced by the retail industry. The group, made up of senior leaders from the industry, will be co-chaired by retail minister Andrew Griffiths MP and Richard Pennycook, chair of Fenwick and the British Retail Consortium, and former CEO at the Co-op.

ACS has welcomed energy regulator Ofgem’s announcement of a mandatory 12-month limit on backbilling for microbusinesses.

Ofgem’s announcement states: ‘Many suppliers have signed up to, or follow, a voluntary agreement not to backbill customers past 12 months. However, the voluntary agreement does not cover all suppliers, and those that have signed up do not always follow this agreement. Ofgem, which consulted on this issue last year, has decided to ban all domestic and microbusiness suppliers from issuing backbills for energy used more than 12 months ago.’ 

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed comments from the Exchequer Secretary, who said that the Government would hold LINK to account on their commitment to do ‘whatever it takes’ to protect the broad geographic spread of ATMs.