James Lowman news, comment and analysis – Page 5
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NewsWales to enact single-use plastics ban from autumn 2023
The Association of Convenience Stores has welcomed the new law as a measure to reduce plastic waste, but said it was concerned over the short timescale
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NewsScottish alcohol marketing proposals would ‘cripple’ us, say convenience retailers
The Scottish government published the proposal for consultation last week and is inviting responses by 9 March
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Comment & OpinionToday’s budget offers some relief for industry. But questions remain over energy support
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was keen to look like a man with a viable plan in today’s autumn statement
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NewsMedicine suppliers must prioritise convenience stores amid shortage, says Bestway
Key availability issues have been with Lemsip, Nurofen and Calpol, with demand superseding supply as the cold and flu season kicks in
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NewsACS warns store closures ‘inevitable’ without energy bill relief extension
The trade body has written to business secretary Grant Shapps calling for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to continue until at least April 2024 for convenience stores
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NewsScottish deposit return scheme scaled back amid concerns over costs
Industry bodies welcomed the move and are now urging ministers in the rest of the UK to follow Scotland’s example
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NewsWholesalers and retailers call for support measures to tackle energy bill crisis
The FWD called for wholesalers to be designated as vulnerable and included in the ongoing price cap
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Analysis & FeaturesHFSS: Small convenience stores call for more detail on exemptions
On the surface, exemptions to the HFSS rules are simple. But franchise agreements complicate matters
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Analysis & FeaturesSmaller retailers are feeling the brunt of HFSS confusion
One of the biggest areas of confusion has been which businesses are included and which are exempt, says James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores
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NewsHFSS ban to go ahead on Saturday but campaigners still fear government u-turn
The measures also confirmed an October 2023 start date for a ban on multibuy locations, including bogofs
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NewsEnergy bailout welcomed but food businesses urge longer-term support
Industry leaders warmly welcomed as a lifeline the “unparalleled” package of support announced by business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg
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NewsConvenience store sales soar 4.6% to £45.2bn
ACS 2022 Local Shop report, which launched today, revealed that figure is set to grow further to over £48bn by 2025
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NewsTributes paid as former FWD director general Alan Toft dies aged 91
Toft joined the Federation of Wholesale Distributors in 1989 and led the trade body for 16 years
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NewsACS calls for business energy price cap to help retailers fight cost of living crisis
Currently, there is no energy price cap for businesses, which would limit the rates a supplier can charge for their default tariffs
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NewsWelsh government proposes ban on single-use plastics
Wales was the first UK nation to introduce a single-use plastic bag charge at 5p per bag
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NewsACS appoints three new trading directors to its board
They are Darren Nickels, retail technology operations director at Henderson Technology, Rob George, customer director at McColl’s, and Spar retailer Susan Connolly
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NewsMajor supermarkets back UK government’s cost of living campaign
Some deals are a continuation of existing campaigns by retailers, which the government wants to promote under the Help for Households campaign
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Comment & OpinionWholesalers must maintain service levels to justify extra charges
Despite wholesalers bumping up delivery charges and patchy availability, now may not be the time for conflict
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NewsScotland’s new HFSS rules will cause ‘even more confusion’ for retailers, says ACS
SRC head of policy Ewan MacDonald-Russell said the restrictions on temporary price reductions would only fuel ongoing inflationary pressures
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NewsConvenience fresh sales soar as shoppers cook from scratch amid cost of living crisis
Costcutter retailer Sue Nithyanandan told The Grocer fruit & veg sales had soared by 25% over the past month