Press Releases

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has reiterated calls to the Government to take urgent action to tackle violence toward and abuse shopworkers, highlighting the human impact that these incidents have.

In a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (14^th January) the Prime Minister called for Whitehall Departments to focus on tackling crime, stating that “every department should consider itself a criminal justice department” as part of the focus to tackle the “complex causes of crime”.

ACS has joined forces with Scotland’s leading business representative groups and sectoral trade associations in a joint letter to MSPs, urging them to vote to retain the Uniform Business Rate.

The 26 organisations represent a wide cross section of Scottish industry including manufacturing, retail, property, tourism, hospitality and leisure.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has launched a campaign in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society to help convenience retailers and colleagues better understand and support customers living with dementia.

Launched today (15^th January), the campaign coincides with ACS’ 25^th anniversary and aims to create 25,000 Dementia Friends in the convenience sector to help customers, colleagues and communities affected by dementia.

Summit20 is an unmissable event for anyone involved with the convenience sector, bringing together retailers, suppliers, and industry experts from around the world to explore the successes and challenges of the industry and discuss new ideas retailers can walk away with.

This year's event, taking place on March 31st at the Vox in Birmingham, will focus on two of the biggest questions facing the convenience sector in the future, looking at whether convenience stores are primarily food retailers, and how the role of colleagues is changing in store.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed an announcement from the Welsh Government which has confirmed an extension to the High Streets and Retail Rate Relief scheme for 2020-21.

As part of the scheme, retail properties with a rateable value up to £9,100 will have a rates bill of zero and properties with a rateable value of up to £50,000 can receive up to £2,500 off of their business rates bill.

ACS has warned ministers that significant hikes in the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates announced today will put further pressure on struggling high street businesses.

The Government have today announced what it calls ‘the biggest cash increase ever’ in the National Living Wage rate. At £8.72 per hour, the National Living Wage will rise by 51p in April from its current rate of £8.21.

From April 2020, the new rates will be as follows:

ACS is calling on LINK, who manages the UK’s cash machine network, to cancel their next planned fee cut and stop the torrent of machines being lost from local communities. 

LINK’s cuts to the fees that are paid to cash machine operators have resulted in thousands of free cash machines being lost in communities across the UK, leaving tens of thousands of people without any way of getting access to their money.

The Ministry of Justice has published data on the number of penalty notices issued for shop theft under £100, showing a significant decline over the last ten years.

The statistical bulletin covering the year ending June 2019 found a 95% decline since 2009 from 49,445 penalty notices issued for shop theft offences under £100 to 2,278.  Penalty notices or out of court disposals, are the most commonly used approach when dealing with shop theft offenders.

ACS has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping retailers and colleagues safe in local shops with the renewal of its partnership with crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers.

Crimestoppers and ACS have been in partnership since 2010, and have worked to raise awareness of violence against local shops, while also offering rewards of up to £50,000 per incident for serious crimes that have been committed in shops within local communities.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has submitted evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Communities and Local Government Committee, raising concerns about the negative impact that localising business rates would have on convenience retailers.

Andy Wightman MSP has tabled an amendment to the Non Domestic Rates(Scotland) Bill which would allow local authorities to set the poundage rate and impose additional levies and supplements on retailers. The amendment could effectively abolish nationally-set reliefs including the Small Business Bonus Scheme.