The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has responded to speculation on the Prime Minister’s plans to ban promotions of unhealthy products and restrict where these products can be sited in store.
It has been suggested that the Government is planning to prevent shops from offering promotions on targeted products and a ban is also expected on sweets and chocolates promoted at the end of supermarket aisles and entrances.
In its submission to the Department for Health and Social Care’s consultation on ‘Restricting Promotions of Products High in Fat, Sugar and Salt by Location and by Price’, ACS called on the Government to exempt all stores under 280sqm / 3000sq ft from the placement restrictions, as making significant changes to the layout of these stores is impractical and could be extremely disruptive and could cost up to £483m.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said, “Government policy and resource needs to be focused on expanding choice and healthy food availability, not on regulations that would make life harder for shops that are maintaining access to food for their communities.
“Restrictions on where products can be sited would not be workable for small stores. Convenience stores, by their very nature, are smaller format stores and the introduction of restrictions on where products can be sited would present retailers with significant practical and operational challenges.