The number of retailers increasing their staff hours has taken a sharp downtown since the 19p increase of the National Minimum Wage in October, according to new research from the Association of Convenience Stores.
The latest ACS Voice of Local Shops Survey has found that fewer convenience retailers have seen an increase in staff hours and sales over the last three months, despite seeing a growth in performance in the first three quarters. On the other hand, the survey’s Optimism Index, the net outcome of retailers expecting their sales and staff hours to rise or fall, has increased slightly in the run up to Christmas.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “Business performance has dipped this quarter despite a positive start to the year. This could have been a combination of the minimum wage hike and consumers holding back on spending ahead of Christmas. But convenience retailers still remain optimistic, with growth in the number expecting an increase in sales and many still hoping to increase staff hours over the next year”.
More information on the survey is available on the ACS website here: http://www.acs.org.uk/research/voice-local-shops-survey/
