C-stores in England neglected as pubs get extra rates support
Local shops in England have condemned the UK Government’s decision to limit additional support to pubs as short sighted and dismissive of the contribution of convenience stores to the economy.
The UK Government has announced that pubs and music venues in England will benefit from a 15% business rates relief, but the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called on the Chancellor to go further and extend help to local shops.
In the Budget at the end of 2025, the Chancellor announced a new Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) multiplier for business rates in England that was 5p lower than the standard rate. This was despite the Government legislating earlier in the year to be able to reduce the RHL multiplier by up to 20p. At the same time, those retail, hospitality and leisure businesses have had to plan for the removal of the 40% Covid relief on their bills in April.
As a result of the Government’s changes to business rates, thousands of convenience stores in England, particularly those independently owned and operating on petrol forecourts, will see significant increases in their rates bills in the coming months. Transitional relief will spread the impact of this significant increase in rates bills over three years, meaning local shops are facing rising bills for the foreseeable future while other costs rise and trading conditions are at their toughest for many years.
The ACS has called on the Government to affirm its support for local shops and other essential community businesses by extending additional support to all retailers in England before bills rise in April.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Local shops will feel neglected and dismissed by this Government today as they are passed over for additional support. For those facing rates increases in April of thousands of pounds, difficult decisions will have to be made about investment, employment opportunities and the services that are provided to customers.
“The Chancellor has a chance to make this right and extend business rates support in the Spring Statement to all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. Without additional support, jobs will be lost, inflation will rise as retailers look to claw back margin, and investment will be put on hold.”
Since the Budget, ACS has campaigned for further support for local shops on rates and has written to Ministers outlining the importance of the convenience sector to both local communities and the UK economy. The ACS Community Barometer survey of UK consumers has shown consistently over the last decade that people see convenience stores, Post Offices and pharmacies as the three most essential services in their community.
