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INDUSTRY NEWS
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House of Lords passes an important amendment that will add further protection for workers in independent convenience stores.
Peers agree protection of workers amendment
The House of Lords has passed a new protection of workers amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in the House of Lords.
The amendment places in statute the aggravating factor applied by the courts in cases of assault where an offence is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public, which includes retailers.
The Government says it will reinforce in statute the seriousness with which the ourts should treat these offences and send a very strong signal to the public that assaults of this kind are totally unacceptable. The new measure will be reviewed in 12 months.
ACS Chief Executive, James Lowman, said: “After many years of campaigning we are please the government has introduced tougher penalties for attacks on shopworkers. This sends a much-needed signal to our colleagues that violence and abuse will not be tolerated.
“We still need more resources for police forces to focus on neighbourhood policing and delivery of the drug rehabilitation strategy to reduce acquisitive crime that often leads to violence in local shops.”
‘One in three’ go low or no
UK shoppers are increasingly choosing low and no alcohol products all year round and not just for the recent Dry January festival, according to the fourth annual online study by drinks watchdog The Portman Group, carried out in December.
Conducted by YouGov, the report found that almost one in three (32%) UK drinkers now ‘semi-regularly’ consume low and no alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020. A fi fth (20%) of those who have tried low and no alcohol say they are more likely to drink these products now compared to a year ago, almost double the number saying this in last year’s survey (11%). The most popular reason given is ‘being able to drive home from social events’ (33% of respondents) while healthier consumption concerns were cited by 22% of consumers. More than one in 10 consumers (12%) said they currently alternate between low or no products and regular strength alcohol to moderate their overall consumption. However, well over half (58%) of non-drinkers have never even tried a low or no product and just 14% are semi-regular consumers.
The Association of Convenience Stores has called on the Government to provide more support for rural convenience stores as part of the levelling up agenda, highlighting the vital role that these businesses play to the economy and to their local communities. ACS’s new 2022 Rural Shop Report has revealed that half of rural stores operate with no other retail or service businesses close by, acting as a lifeline for their customers by providing access to vital services including free to use cash machines (48%), local grocery delivery (26%) and Post Offi ces (22%). This year’s report also shows that if their local shop was no longer there, customers would have to travel an average of 3.3 miles in order to access these services and to feed their families.
Government Update Home entertaining now ‘key’ for retailers ACS has called on the A new report has found that government to provide entertaining at home is a more support for rural fundamentally important legacy of the last 18 months. convenience stores. A TWC survey in the run up to Christmas found that almost Government must not leave rural shops behind in Levelling Up Agenda seven in 10 shoppers said they had entertained friends at home in the past month and plan to do so in the future. This is a higher number than those that said they had met friends and family in a pub, and implies a signifi cant opportunity for retailers. Key fi ndings: l In 2021 rural retailers invested £195m in their businesses Sarah Coleman, TWC’s Director l They provide local, secure and fl exible employment to over 138,000 people of Communications, said: l Rural stores added £3.5bn of value to the economy “Retailers have an opportunity to target home entertaining l 79% are independently owned occasions, to meet the needs of those that don’t want to go out, or indeed those who have enjoyed entertaining at Findings from the report show that over home through the pandemic the last year, rural convenience stores and wish to continue. If current have achieved around £15.8bn in sales concerns lead to further and the average rural customer visits restrictions, retailers need to stores around 2.5 times per week. be prepared for an increase in at home occasions.” ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Rural shops are a lifeline The report also to thousands of communities and suggested that home have gone above and beyond to delivery can play ensure that they can keep providing an important role essentials throughout the ongoing in helping retailers pandemic. This is despite rural service shoppers shops facing signifi cant additional entertaining at home, challenges compared to their more as well as allowing urban counterparts. Providing retailers to get closer targeted support to rural shops to shoppers and and other rural businesses must understand their be integral to the Government’s buying behaviours levelling up agenda to ensure that better through the gap between rural stores and data collection and their urban counterparts doesn’t analysis. widen even further.”
Sustainability opportunity for Budgens retailers
A new report from data and digital experts TWC has found that over a third of consumers believe that shopping at convenience stores is “better for the environment”. The report also found that sustainability concerns are already influencing consumers’ decisions on where they shop for groceries – and will do so more in the future.
The TWC Trends “Do good, feel good” report revealed that over 70% of consumers are concerned about environmental and sustainability issues. The youngest shoppers, Gen Z (aged 18-24) were most likely to ‘strongly agree’ with this statement while shoppers aged 55 and over were more likely to consider themselves ‘more concerned about environmental issues than they were three years ago’, suggesting that older consumers are ‘catching up’ with their younger counterparts in terms of concerns about sustainability.
What is also clear from the report is that sustainability concerns are already affecting where consumers shop. Over four in 10 respondents agreed with this statement – and almost half said that it will be an even greater influence in the future.
The reasons behind shoppers’ beliefs include the fact they they commonly visit convenience stores on foot, independent stores support the local economy and local suppliers, and smaller baskets tending to mean less waste.
Sarah Coleman, Communications Director at TWC, commented: “Almost two-thirds of consumers agreed that food retailers who don’t take sustainability or environmental issues seriously are likely to lose out in the future. There is a real opportunity here for Budgens retailers to talk up the environmental benefits of shopping at their stores. For example, walking to store (both customers and staff) and collaborations with local businesses that drive the local economy. We believe this would really resonate with consumers.”
Local store spending ‘up 67.3%’
Consumer spending on essential items like food and drink in local retailing outlets grew by 67.3% in January compared to the same period in 2020, according to the latest data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions.
The huge increase in spend was driven by consumers shopping locally due to workfrom-home guidance, said Barclaycard.
Supermarket growth over the same period was a subdued 13.6%, the lowest growth rate since before the pandemic began.
The report predicted that growth in independent retailing should continue with a number of important seasonal occasions such as Mother’s Day and Easter on the horizon which should help to keep footfall and sales in strong growth for the coming months.
