Insight

15 stats about convenience retail in 2019

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The impact of convenience stores in the UK

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has released their 2019 Local Shop Report, which gives an in-depth breakdown of the convenience sector of the retail industry.

We have taken a look at the results and have extracted some interesting facts about UK convenience stores which you may not have known.

The importance of convenience stores and local shops

Convenience stores are often overlooked in the retail industry, especially when compared to the retail giants, such as supermarkets, or large high street clothing retailers, but convenience stores play a huge part in UK communities.

Job creation

The report showed that there are 405,000 employees in the convenience store sector, and according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it has a larger amount of people working in the industry than the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry and the real estate industry put together

This shows that this sector is not only convenient for the people who want to make purchases, but also for the community around them, who may benefit from flexible employment on their doorstep.

Ease of access

Convenience stores are named so because they are convenient. 57% of people who shop at convenience stores make their way to stores on foot, and 80% of customers surveyed live less than a mile away from their nearest convenience store.

The average customer will also visit their nearest convenience store 3.8 times a week, with 26% of all customers saying they visit every day

Impact on communities

As part of the survey, customers were asked to rank which establishments in the community had the most positive impact on the local area. Amongst the different types of establishments were pharmacies, pubs and bars, banks, restaurants, charity shops, petrol stations and pawnbrokers, of which, post offices and convenience stores were 1st and 2nd, respectively, on the list.

Convenience stores were also ranked 3rd best type of establishment for reducing loneliness in the community.

Contactless mobile payments at a convenience store

15 key convenience store stats

The number of convenience stores in mainland UK
The value of sales the sector was responsible for in 2019
Of overall UK grocery sales are made by convenience stores

of users live less than a mile away from their nearest store

of shop owners take no annual holidays
of convenience stores have an EPoS service

There is one convenience store for every:

  • 1,455 people in England
  • 1,093 people in Scotland
  • 1,071 people in Wales

Customers thought that the most useful services were:

  • cash machines
  • post offices
  • click and collect
On each visit the average customer will:
  • Buy 2.31 items
  • Spend £6.38

Payments

Convenience stores payment acceptance:
  • 100% accept cash
  • 94% accept debit cards
  • 91% accept credit cards
  • 88% accept contactless payments
  • 80% accept mobile payments
of employees have worked in the industry for between one and five years
work on a part time basis between 0-16 hours each week
of shop owners work more than 70 hours a week

To get to a convenience store:

  • 57% of customers walk
  • 38% drive
  • 3% use public transport
  • 2% use other forms of transport

To commute work:

  • 53% of employees walk
  • 33% drive
  • 11% use public transport
  • 3% use another form of transport

Retail insurance with Premierline

As one of the biggest industries in the UK, the retail industry has thousands of different businesses, all with different business insurance needs, which is why it is so difficult to get the cover that will protect your business should the worst happen.

At Premierline, our insurance experts will assess your business’ needs to find the insurance policy that can give your shop the protection it needs. We work with some of the UK’s most well-known insurance companies to make sure that your shop insurance is competitively priced and suits your requirements. Get in touch with one of our insurance advisors to compare retail insurance quotes today.

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Business insurance with Premierline

It is important to make sure that you have the right insurance in place to protect the business that you have built. Every business is different and has its own business insurance needs, which is why we work with some of the UK’s most well-known insurers to ensure that you are getting the right insurance cover for your business.