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Crickhowell’s Book-ish crowned best independent bookshop in UK and Ireland

28 May 2024

 A Powys bookshop has been named as the best independent in the UK and Ireland.
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Election 2024: what does the indie retail sector want from the next government?

28 May 2024

With a general election just weeks away, Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has placed “reducing the cost of doing business” high on his... Read more…

Newcastle shop owner creates map to showcase area's independent businesses

28 May 2024

An indie shop owner in Ouseburn, Newcastle has created a map to showcase the area's independent businesses.
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Indie retailers urged to battle 2025 duty change

28 May 2024

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) is calling on independent retailers to keep writing to their MPs to highlight the impact of the upcoming February 2025 duty change.
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Retail industry key recruiter of people from under-utilised sections of society

15 May 2024

A new report released on behalf of the Retail Sector Council has outlined the work that the industry is doing to create more career opportunities for people that would otherwise be... Read more…

Teacher and ice-cream store manager move from Australia to take over Halifax indie bookshop.

14 May 2024

A family of booklovers are moving from Australia to become the new owners of an independent bookshop in Halifax.
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Global Payments Report says consumer choice not just influencing but dictating the future of commerce.

14 May 2024

Worldpay’s 2024 Global Payments Report has revealed a transformative shift where consumer choice is not just influencing but dictating the future of commerce.
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Competition and Markets Authority says grocers need to prioritise accurate pricing.

13 May 2024

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has called on grocers to prioritise accurate pricing following a review of the way in-store prices are displayed.
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Leicester indie retailers defend ‘special’ city centre after M&S announces closure.

13 May 2024

Independent businesses in Leicester have praised the “uniqueness” of the city and its "vibrant" atmosphere after the news that M&S was set to close drew a... Read more…

Independent shops better than big retailers at surviving COVID in the UK

1 May 2024

Small shops have been more "agile" at fighting COVID sale slumps than chain stores, according to a new report.
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Rural shops more important than ever, new report shows.

Posted on in Business News

The ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has celebrated the crucial role that rural shops play in thousands of communities across the UK in its 2024 Rural Shop Report.

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The report outlines the difference that the UK’s 17,986 rural shops make as secure local employers, as entrepreneurs investing and working with local businesses, and as essential service providers.

Key findings include:

  1. Rural shops employ over 170,000 people, the majority of which live very close and can walk to work.
  2. Rural consumers see convenience stores as the most essential service in their local area.
  3. Independent retailers in rural areas are at the heart of their community, with more than 4 in 5 engaging a range of different community activities over the past year.
  4. Rural shops generated £17.1bn in sales and over £3.8bn in GVA over the last year. 

The Rural Shop Report highlights the work that convenience retailers are doing to provide essential goods and services to their communities, but there are significant challenges facing stores trading in rural and isolated areas.

As part of the launch, ACS is engaging with MPs on the actions that government can take to support rural shops and ensure that there’s a level playing field between rural businesses and their more urban counterparts.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Rural shops make a huge difference locally, as a social hub, a stable employer, and a provider of essential services that would otherwise not be available at all.

“We are calling on MPs to help rural retailers in the battle against shop theft and abuse, to enable stores to continue providing access to cash for customers, and to level up the digital infrastructure that connects rural shops so that they can invest in modernising their businesses.”

Rural Services Network chief executive Kerry Booth said: “We are delighted at the Rural Services Network to be supporting the launch of the Rural Shop Report.

“Rural shops play a critical role at the heart of our rural communities helping to reduce isolation and loneliness, and enabling residents to benefit from services that, due to poor connectivity or lack of transport links, they would be otherwise unable to access.”

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