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North Yorkshire cycle hub up for top tourism award

22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.
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Independent retail bodies welcome new report aimed at tackling retail crime.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime... Read more…

Indie retailers outperformed supermarkets in sales of organic food, wellness and beauty products in 2023.

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with... Read more…

Cheltenham beer shop and bar wins top UK award.

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 
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Welsh Government Announce £20m Future Proofing Fund for Retail Businesses in Wales

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to... Read more…

High Street Faces 'Unprecedented Challenges' says Trade Association

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.
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Greeting Card Association expresses concern on new evidence Royal Mail prioritising parcel deliveries over letters.

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of... Read more…

Kate Bush named as Record Store Day ambassador.

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.
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Shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2024 revealed.

4 Mar 2024

The British Book Awards has announced its shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year. 
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Local Bike Shop Day 2024 confirmed for Saturday May 4th.

4 Mar 2024

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.
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ACS Covid-19 Impact Survey Reveals How Stores Have Adapted Since Lockdown

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

New findings from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) have revealed the challenges faced by retailers and colleagues since the lockdown, and the changes that they have made in store to keep their communities going.

ACS are a member of the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), a well-established organisation representing c.100,000 independent retailers throughout the UK.

The ACS Covid-19 Impact Survey shows that while two thirds of essential stores have seen sales increase in the last two months, a third have seen a fall in sales with 26% reporting that sales have fallen significantly.

Forecourts, city centre stores and those near transport hubs are the most likely to have been negatively affected, with neighbourhood and rural stores likely to have seen an increase in sales.

The survey highlights the work that retailers have done to adapt their businesses since the start of the lockdown. Home delivery has been a huge growth area for the sector, with 62% of stores now providing some form of delivery service.

Additional key findings from the report include:

  • 37% of retailers report that supply into their stores has been impacted to a very large extent
  • More than half of stores (56%) offer ‘card not present' transactions, enabling volunteers to shop for vulnerable people locally
  • Just 4% of retailers have received a loan through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
  • Violence and verbal abuse has increased in 40% of stores

The ACS Covid-19 Impact Survey was carried out between 13th April and 1st May and includes a sample representing 4,896 stores. For more information on the full survey, please visit acs.org.uk.

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