Association of Convenience Stores

We would like to thank everyone for attending our Innovation & NPD Showcase and Hosted One2One's last week at the London Stadium! We had a great turnout and got to experience some exciting & innovative products! A big thank you to IFE, International Food & Drink Expo 2025 and StoresAce for sponsoring the event. Once again, well done to our 6 shortlist brands! Jam N Vegan ELEAT Gold Standard Nutrition YODEYMA PARIS OORG Barfoots of Botley Ltd The ACS Community

The Welsh Government is set to push ahead with a separate deposit return scheme in Wales, which will initially include some glass (mainly beer and cider bottles), and then possibly other glass (for example wine and spirit bottles). The scheme has no implementation timeline (the rest of the UK is going ahead in October 2027) and has to have its own management organisation set up. The rest of the UK is not including glass within its scheme. Our full reaction to the news here: https://lnkd.in/gSX93vsG

Ahead of the single use vaping ban next June, we've launched extended guidance for retailers to help them prepare. The guide also has detailed information on how to spot illicit products, prevent underage sales, and meet your recycling obligations Download the guide, and posters to display in your store here: https://lnkd.in/eqYNt_xJ

Had the opportunity to talk to BBC Breakfast this morning in the studio about shop theft and the impact it has on retailers. There has been some positive noise coming from government about increasing funding to deal with prolific offenders, but ultimately retailers will only feel a difference if they see policing and not policy.

Chris Noice and James Lowman discuss the implications of today’s Budget on the convenience sector, who will be hardest hit, and what the long term impact could be on prices and investment https://lnkd.in/eJZf4Zhm

Our full Budget reaction here: https://lnkd.in/dmHNWwWf

The disposable vapes ban will come into force on June 1st 2025, the Government confirms this morning. It is expected that devolved nations (Wales and Scotland) will align their implementation dates. We have comprehensive guidance on the changes in development, watch this space for more details in the coming days. More on the announcement here: https://lnkd.in/ezgkQCxu

At the Financial Times office in St Paul’s today, talking about retail crime for a piece coming soon. Always important to take these opportunities to highlight the issues facing independent retailers and the impact that crime has on them and their colleagues.

If Mars did Monday's... wow, what an exciting way to start the week! 🙌🤩 A massive thank you to Fiona Martin, Courtney Burton, Guy Walters, Liz McAuley, and Roger Hardingham for welcoming members of The ACS Community and #WIRN, and colleagues from the Association of Convenience Stores for an insightful and collaborative day. 🍫 It was a pleasure organising and bringing this together with you all. 👏 It's not often you get to experience behind the scenes of such big brands, and the team worked incredibly hard at showcasing the magic at Mars, a day to remember and the start of many great relationships to come! 🤝 ✨ #theacscommunity #independentretailers #conveniencestores Sue Nithyanandan, Susan Connolly, Fiona Malone, Atul Sodha, Joshua James, Varun Aggarwal, kaual patel, Raaj Chandarana, Anita Nye, Will Nelson, Daniel Askew

I am thrilled to share that I have been invited to become an ACS Ambassador for the Association of Convenience Stores! 🎉 This is a tremendous honour, and I am grateful to the ACS board, the ACS Independents Board, and the entire ACS team for this recognition. As an ACS Ambassador, I will have the opportunity to join a select group of retailers who are committed to advancing the convenience sector. I look forward to collaborating with fellow ambassadors and contributing to important discussions through Expert Groups focused on responsible retailing, fuel, crime, property, employment, and policy. Together, we can shape policies and campaigns that positively influence our industry and support our fellow retailers. Thank you Sarah C Johnson James Lowman Jonathan James Ramesh Shingadia The ACS Community for considering me and YES I accept #achievement #conveniencestores #everythinguthinkistrue🎸🎹🎤🎶💜