Highlights
- Over 1,000 letters have been sent to business secretary Jonathan Reynolds as part of the 'Protect Your Store, Have Your Say' campaign
- Retailers are urging Reynolds to support small businesses and fight against the negative implications of the proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill
- The campaign, led by Paul Cheema, founder of C-Talk, aims to raise awareness and pressure the government to consider the impact on convenience stores
‘Protect Your Store, Have Your Say’ – a nationwide letter-writing campaign calling out the dangers of the proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill for the convenience sector - has reached a major milestone, with more than 1,000 letters now being sent to business secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Retailers urge him to support small businesses, as they fight against the negative implications of the Bill, voicing concerns over its impact on store safety and economic impact.
Breaking the 1,000-mark is a significant show of force from the convenience sector, Paul Cheema, founder of retailer platform C-Talk, who launched the campaign, noted.
“Retailers are stepping up because this Bill poses a real threat to our livelihoods and the communities we serve. This isn’t just bad policy, it’s dangerous. We all want to help reduce smoking, but the expense of our staff safety or livelihoods. And the reality is the responsible retailers who’ll be hit hardest by this Bill aren’t those already selling to minors. It’s unthinkable that the government is contemplating new laws when existing age-of-sale enforcement by thousands of illicit shops is so woeful,” Cheema said.
With over 437,000 staff employed in convenience stores in the UK, and the industry projected to contribute over £50bn annually to the economy by 2026 [ACS Local Shop Report 2024], convenience stores are an essential service. Yet, a poor impact assessment conducted and a clear lack of understanding of the convenience sector in the government has sentenced the sector to an uncertain future, Cheema added.
“The convenience trade is already under immense pressure from rising costs, the growing illicit tobacco trade and an epidemic of shopworker abuse. That’s why we’re calling on everyone who works in a convenience store to join this campaign and make sure our voices are heard before it’s too late.”
Through the dedicated website www.protectyourstore.co.uk, retailers can submit a pre-written letter with just a few clicks, and the system then prints and dispatches it directly to Reynolds.
With over 50,000 convenience stores in the UK, 70 per cent of which are independently run*, the campaign is calling for more retailers to act now and put pressure on Reynolds to represent their views at Cabinet.