Press Releases

ACS has welcomed the Sentencing Council’s new sentencing guidelines for shop theft which emphasise the emotional distress, property damage and the effect on the business when sanctioning offenders.

The guidelines, used by judges and magistrates to decide the appropriate sentence for a criminal offence, introduces a new approach to assessing the harm of shop theft to take into account the wider impact the crime has on its victims.

However, ACS raises concerns that the guidelines do not include a separate assessment for repeat offenders.

ACS has responded to the chancellor’s announcement on locally set business rates, raising concerns that rates could rise for local businesses.

In his speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester today, the chancellor, George Osborne, has announced that he will “abolish” the current system of business rates and replace it with a system which allows local authorities to set business rates themselves.

In response to the Institute of Licensing consultation on template licensing conditions ACS has raised concerns that the proposal are unworkable.

ACS chief executive, James Lowman said: “Effective licencing conditions must be based on local evidence and tailored to each premise.  Template licensing condition, as proposed in the consultation, is likely to result in blanket condition that are not relevant to individual local shops – we urge the Institute of Licensing to reconsider publishing this guidance.”

The Association of Convenience Stores has submitted new evidence to the Low Pay Commission, detailing the thousands of jobs that will be lost in the convenience sector as a result of the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016.

ACS has estimated that in 2016, the introduction of the living wage at £7.20 per hour for workers over 25 will cost the sector in excess of £167m.

When asked about the impact of the Living Wage, retailers said that they would take the following steps to keep their business afloat:

Investment levels in the convenience sector have fallen by 35% over the last three months as retailers prepare for the introduction of the National Living Wage.

Over the last three months, convenience stores across the UK have invested £116m in their businesses compared to £177m in the previous quarter.

The Association of Convenience Stores has warned that Government plans to remove Sunday trading hours are unpopular, will cost jobs and damage high streets.

In its submission to the Government’s consultation on devolving the power to set Sunday trading rules locally, ACS has revealed the results of a survey of local authority chief executives showing that the measure would benefit out of town stores over high streets and town centres.

The survey showed:

The 2015 Local Shop Report has revealed the vital contribution that local shops make, both to the UK economy and the consumers who rely on them.

Published today, the report offers new information about the value that local shops provide their communities, as well as key information about the entrepreneurs that run stores, their staff and the market as a whole.

Key findings from the report include:

New research released today by the Association of Convenience Stores has revealed how the public, retailers and local councillors feel about their high streets.

The Community Barometer shows that convenience stores and post offices were seen to be the services which had the most positive impact on their local community, with coffee shops, pharmacies and specialist food shops following close behind.

Figures released by Government as part of a consultation on changes to Sunday Trading regulations have been dismissed as out of date and misleading.

In the consultation, Government uses the following statistics to justify its decision:

The Department for Business and the Department for Communities and Local Government have published a full consultation on plans to allow local authorities and metro mayors to increase the hours that larger shops can open on Sundays.