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Research

ACS prides itself on being an authoritative voice on the retail sector to Government. To further this aim, we have invested in a number of significant research projects to find out more about the retailers who make up the growing convenience sector.

The Local Shop Report is the annual report for the sector, bringing together data from respected industry sources with brand new information about the entrepreneurs that run convenience stores.

The Community Barometer tracks the opinions of retailers, consumers and councillors on the services nearby, the policies that should be a priority in their area and the performance of their local councils.

The Crime Report highlights the record amount of shop theft across the convenience sector, and shows the crime prevention and detection measures retailers are investing in to combat retail crime.  

The Forecourt Report provides an overview of the 8,279 forecourt sites in the UK, the products and services they offer, and the customers they serve.

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Research

The 2025 Local Shop Report has revealed that despite a slight increase in the number of convenience stores trading in the UK to 50,486, the number of jobs that they provide has fallen from 445,000 to 443,000, the amount invested by retailers has fallen by £100m from £1bn to £900m, and the total projected sales this year has fallen to £48.8bn, from £49.4bn last year.

Key highlights from this report include: 

•    71% of stores are run by independent retailers (either unaffiliated or as part of a symbol group)
•    The total value of sales for 2025 is forecast at £48.8billion and the convenience sector is expected to grow to £53.7billion by 2028
•    32% of customers know the people running and working in their local shop very well or quite well
•    80% of convenience stores have been involved in community activity over the last year

The full 2025 Local Shop Report is available here.

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