Press Releases

Today (12th March) the Welsh Government set out its first steps out of lockdown, with “stay local" guidance replacing "stay home".

First Minister Mark Drakeford said that the easing of rules in Wales was the start of a “phased approach” out of lockdown.

From 22nd March there will be gradual easing of non-essential shopping and non-essential aisles in supermarkets and this will be followed by the reopening of non-essential retail on 12th April.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to take urgent access to ensure long-term access to cash and to provide local shops with support in order to continue providing this service to their customers.

Today (11th March) marks one year since the Government outlined its commitment to legislate to secure access to cash at Budget 2020.

Taking place on 21st March, this year’s census is not only about collecting essential information that underpins decisions that impact everyone, it is about celebrating ordinary people and the extraordinary contributions they have made to their communities.

Census 2021 will be the 22nd census of England and Wales and to mark the occasion, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is awarding 22 local community heroes with bespoke purple plaques which can be displayed at either their workplace, home or in the wider community.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to an Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) call for evidence on the next steps for the implementation of deposit return schemes.

The call for evidence sought views on; materials in scope, scheme design, obligations on retailers, recent changes in retail activity and how the scheme works in relation to other Government waste schemes under the Resource and Waste Strategy such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

ACS’ key recommendations for the scheme include:

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to a HMRC consultation on sanctions to tackle tobacco duty evasion, highlighting the detrimental impact that the illicit trade has on legitimate retailers.
The consultation sought views on proposals for new sanctions linked to the UK’s tobacco track and trace system, and extending HMRC’s traceability enforcement powers to Trading Standards officers. ACS’ response to the consultation also highlighted that enforcement action against local shops is not a panacea for the illicit tobacco market.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has reiterated its calls to the Treasury ahead of the 2021 Budget on Wednesday, calling on the Chancellor to extend the business rates discount in 2021/22 to avoid a ‘sudden shock’ of high rates bills while stores are still dealing with the impact of the pandemic.

ACS recommends a minimum 50% reduction in business rates for 2021/22 to taper the reintroduction of rates and avoid a cliff edge spike in operating costs at a time when local shops are still investing in and adapting their businesses to keep customers and colleagues safe.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has confirmed the date of its biggest annual conference, taking place virtually as an immersive event on 13^th April.

Summit21 is an unmissable event for anyone involved with the convenience sector, bringing together retailers, suppliers and industry experts from around the world.

The Department for Transport has confirmed that E10 will become the standard petrol grade available on UK forecourts from September 2021. E5 petrol will still be available to consumer as the super grade.

The introduction of higher ethanol fuel E10 aims to support the government targets to reduce CO2 emission. The introduction of E10 on UK forecourts  will start in September 2021 to align with the change over from summer to winter fuel grades.

ACS has urged the Government to recognise the importance of rural shops and ensure that they are not left playing catch up when it comes to being able to provide services to their customers.

The 2021 ACS Rural Shop Report has revealed how crucial the UK’s 17,000+ rural shops are to their local communities, with findings from this year’s report showing that throughout 2020, rural consumers have increasingly used their local shop for a wider range of products, and one in five reporting that they depend on their local shop more now than a year ago.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to rethink its plans to put a £26m cost burden on around 2,000 independent retailers as part of its Obesity Strategy proposals.

The latest iteration of the Government’s Obesity Strategy includes a range of measures aimed at encouraging adults to change their purchasing behaviour, diet and lifestyle, with specific proposals aimed at retailers such as: