Press Releases
Consumer Group Which? Urges Chancellor to Protect Access to Cash
ACS has welcomed calls from consumer group Which? to ensure that cash is accessible and accepted as payment for essential goods and services.
Research released today (September 18th) by Which? shows that one in 10 free to use cash machines has either closed or started charging a fee over the past 17 months, with the most deprived areas losing access to cash from ATMs at a faster rate.
Read MoreACS: Scottish Government Lays Deposit Return Scheme Regulations in Parliament
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed further detail from the Scottish Government on the proposed regulations for the introduction of a deposit return scheme, which includes plans to allow retailers to apply for exemptions.
Read MoreACS: Action Needed to Tackle Violence Against Shopworkers
ACS has welcomed new research from City University of London calling for greater action from the Government to tackle violence against shopworkers.
The research, which was commissioned by the Co-op, references ACS’ Crime Report which shows that there were almost 10,000 incidents of violence against shopworkers in the convenience sector last year, 40% resulting in injury of staff. The report calls for:
Read MoreACS Launches Brexit Readiness Briefing for Convenience Sector
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.
Read MoreACS Highlights Crucial Role of UK Convenience Sector; Warns of Potential Impact of No Deal Brexit
The 2019 Local Shop Report has revealed that the 46,388 stores in the UK convenience sector currently employ around 405,000 people, generating sales of over £40.3bn over the last year. The report, launched this week by the Association of Convenience Stores, demonstrates how important the UK’s network of convenience stores are to thousands of communities and millions of customers.
Key findings from this year’s report include:
Read MorePayments Regulator: Consumers and Businesses Still Value Access to Cash
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed the findings of research into consumers’ and small businesses’ attitudes towards and need for access to cash.
The BritainThinks research commissioned by the Payment Systems Regulator shows that ‘the majority of consumers use cash regularly’, with 83% of consumers using a free-to-use ATM within the past month and 67% of consumers using cash more than once in the past week.
Read MoreHome Office Figures Show Retailers being Repeatedly Targeted by Criminals
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 (5th 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:
Read MoreNew Fuel Labelling Regulations Now in Force
ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is urging retailers to ensure that they are prepared for the new fuel labelling regulations which are now in force from today (1st September).
These new regulations legally require additional labelling to be introduced on all fuel dispensers and nozzles in all UK filling stations by 1st September 2019 and aim to help drivers identify fuels and reduce misfuelling.
Read MoreLINK Commit to Installing New Free to Use ATMs on High Streets
ACS has welcomed a new commitment from LINK to install free to use cash machines on high streets that don’t have any free access to cash for consumers.
Read MoreACS and SGF Welcome Scottish Affairs Committee Report on Access to Cash
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.
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