ACS: The Local Shop Podcast

Chris is joined by Ed and Jordan to unpack the commitments made by the winning parties in the Scottish and Welsh elections and how they might affect local shops. 

Chris is joined by Paul, Daniel, Jordan and Rosie in the ACS team to look ahead to 2026 on some of the key areas that will affect the convenience sector, and the ways that you can get involved with our activity in the year ahead.  Check out some of the resources mentioned in the episode below:  Upcoming events: https://www.acs.org.uk/events/upcoming-events Policy Tracker: https://www.acs.org.uk/we...

Chris sits down with James and Ed to discuss what's coming in the Budget, looking at everything from business rates to crime, fuel duty and employment costs. 

We talk to John Clancy, co-founder and CEO of Galvia AI about how artificial intelligence can change the way that convenience retailers think about their businesses.  Galvia AI is a sponsor of the ACS Innovation and NPD Showcase, taking place on October 21st at the National Football Museum.  More information about Galvia is available here: https://galvia.ai/

The ACS Crime Report has revealed a new record level of shop theft, with over 6.2million offences committed in the last year. The report comes on the eve of the second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill, which aims to make a meaningful change to crime in communities.  In this episode, Chris Noice is joined by Nisa head of retail Taranjit Dhillon, independent retailer Ben Salvaratnam, James Low...

Chris and James talk through the impact of the main announcements in the new Labour Government's first Budget, including employer National Insurance Contributions, business rates, and a new commitment on tackling shoplifting. 

Chris, James and Ed talk through the commitments made in the manifestos released this week from the main parties looking to count on your vote at the General Election.  We cover how the parties stack up on key issues like crime, business rates, employment and public health.  Get the latest from the campaign trail at the ACS Election Centre online at ACS.org.uk

James is joined by Gareth Evans from Spectra, Phil Ponsonby from Midcounties Co-operative and Anna Butcher from John Lewis to discuss how convenience retailers are working with the underutilised parts of the workforce, including ex-military, prison leavers and care leavers, to provide important career opportunities. 

We react to the news that the General Election will be held on July 4th after a surprise announcement from the Prime Minister. Plus, what does the election mean for legislation that's currently working its way through parliament, and how can you get involved with the campaign by hosting a store visit with candidates. 

In this special episode of the Local Shop Podcast, Chris is joined by Susan Nash and Alisdair Hamilton from Mondelez to talk about the history of the Cadbury business and how Mondelez is supporting independent retailers in 2024 and beyond. Retailers, go to https://www.snackdisplay.co.uk/ for more info!

Chris is joined by James and Ed to talk through the raft of measures that the Government has announced on the vaping category in recent months, the impact that they will have on retailers, and what we might expect next.  Retailers can get in touch with their MP about the impact of the disposable vape ban via the ACS website at https://www.acs.org.uk/disposable-vapes-ban

Guest host Sarah C Johnson is joined by leading retailers Sunita Aggarwal and Charlotte Dant to discuss International Women's Day, the Women's Independent Retail Network and much more! 

Chris is joined by James and Ed to discuss the big announcements from the Chancellor's Budget.  P.S. We had some audio issues with this recording, so please bear with us! This is a temporary issue that will be fixed next time around. 

Chris, James and Ed preview the upcoming Spring Budget and discuss the latest developments on the disposable vapes ban. 

James sits down with Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne OBE and National Business Crime Centre lead Patrick Holdaway to discuss the recent developments on shop theft and tackling retail crime. 

Chris, James and Ed discuss what was in (and what wasn't in) Jeremy Hunt's Budget, including a complete failure of Government to address the cliff edge of energy costs facing convenience stores. 

Chris, James and Ed talk through the main headlines from Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget, including the energy bill relief scheme, investment zones, tax cuts, and more! 

Chris is joined by James and Ed to talk through the crisis facing retailers when it comes to energy bills this winter, what can be done to help, and when the next Prime Minister is likely to act. 

Chris is joined by Steve Dowling from ACS and Rebekah from Meraki Creative Therapy to discuss the importance of wellbeing for both retailers and colleagues and some of the things that you can do to prioritise your mental health. 

Chris, James and Ed talk through the big announcements in the Chancellor's Spring Statement, what support is available for businesses, and what's next as retailers face into rising costs throughout the year. 

Follow us on Twitter @ACS_localshops and @localshoppod You can find the full Rural Shop Report at ACS.org.uk

Chris and James talk through the main points of the Chancellor's Budget, including new measures to incentivise investment, duty rates reform, and wage increases.

On this episode, we hear from the three finalists of the Raj Aggarwal Trophy, who shared their inspirational stories at the 2021 Heart of the Community Conference earlier this week. The panel session was chaired by award winning retailers Jonathan James and Avtar Sidhu.

Chris is joined by Ed, James, Lydia and Steve to discuss the party conference season, what the Government's agenda looks like in the future, and what it's been like having an ACS stand at conference for the first time.

On this episode of the podcast, we hear from Steve Dowling about the launch of the brand new ACS Wellbeing Guide, as well as hear from experts on wellbeing and leading retailers about how they prioritise wellbeing in their businesses.