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ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched a briefing for the convenience sector to help retailers consider how their business may be affected by the UK leaving the EU with no deal.

The Brexit Readiness Briefing covers three core elements that may be affected in the convenience sector: trading environment, workforce & people and regulations. Each of the sections includes a number of considerations for retailers to think about in relation to their business and suggests some preparations they can make in advance.

ACS has called for a more targeted approach to dealing with repeat offenders, after official figures from the Home Office show that retailers who experience crime are being targeted more often than in previous years.

The 2018 Commercial Victimisation Survey, published this morning (5^th September), shows that overall, crimes against retailers and wholesalers continue to rise year on year, driven mostly by increases in theft by customers.

Key findings from the survey include:

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) and SGF (the Scottish Grocers’ Federation) have welcomed the Scottish Affairs Committee report on Access to Financial Services which urges LINK to cancel the next planned cut in interchange fees for cash machine operators.

New figures published today by the Home Office have revealed that just 7.8% of crimes reported in the last year resulted in a charge or summons for offenders, down from 9.1% in the previous year.

The Crime Outcomes in England and Wales report from the Home Office outlines the different ways that reported crimes are dealt with by police. Across all crime, 44.4% of investigations result in no suspect being identified, rising to 74.4% for theft offences.

The Government has responded to the House of Lords Rural Economy Committee’s final report about how Government policy could strengthen rural businesses and communities.

The 2019 ACS Rural Shop Report reveals that rural convenience stores provide flexible jobs for almost 140,000 people, have invested over £271m in improving their businesses, and continue to provide a wide range of services despite slow broadband speeds and unreliable mobile connectivity.