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Small Business Strategy Inquiry 2025 - ACT and Bira call for members to share their voice

20 Jun 2025

The House of Commons Business and Trade Committee has asked the ACT, and its parent company Bira, to help them reach out to small business retailers across the country, for their quick input on... Read more…

Beyond the discount: Restoring integrity to the cycle supply chain

18 Jun 2025

The Association of Cycle Traders believes the time has come for greater accountability throughout our supply chain, writes ACT Director Jonathan Harrison in an article published for BikeBiz.
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Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
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Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
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Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

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IRC member ACS Briefs Election Candidates

Posted on in Business News, Political News

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is the voice of over 33,500 local shops consisting of a diverse range of convenience store retailers; they support their members through effective lobbying, comprehensive advice and innovative networking opportunities.

ACS has now briefed all prospective parliamentary candidates on the policy issues that affect local shops and invited them to engage with local shops during the election campaign.

ACS has set out that local shops will need support with rising employment costs, reform of the business rates system to incentivise investment, support with delivering essential services like Post Offices and ATMs and investment in policing and the justice system to reduce violence against shop staff.

During the campaign, ACS will be supporting retailers to host store visits with candidates in their constituency, to raise the issues that affect their stores colleagues and the day to day running of their business.

The list that ACS have put together includes:

  • Increase Small Business Rate Relief thresholds and reform the business rates system to incentivise investment.
  • Increase the Employment Allowance to offset rising employment costs.
  • Maintain access to banking services and cash in local communities.
  • Address the rising levels of business crime in local police and crime plans.
  • Assess and account for the impact of new regulatory interventions on small shops.
  • Level the playing field on tax and regulatory issues between online and high street businesses.

ACS are a member of the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), along with a host of other organisations that support independent retailers, such as The ACT and ActSmart. These organisations work together to create initiatives such as the Best Small Shops competition, which champions independent retailers.

For more information on running a store visit see ACS' store visit video here. You can listen to the ACS Team discussing what to expect during the election on the Local Shop Podcast here.

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