Member Value Statement 2025

Promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, delivering skills requirements and supporting workforce evolution.

• Consequences of £7bn of Budget costs for jobs and inflation covered in over 1,200 pieces of tier 1 media.
• Analysis and engagement on Employment Rights Bill. Evidence to Bill Committee, responses to four consultations, and engagement with Peers to table amendments that address industry concerns.
• Changes to collective consultation to benefit the industry.
• Exclusive engagement with the Low Pay Commission on the impact of changes to the LPC’s remit.
• Programme of expert advice, engagement and data/insight on Diversity and Inclusion challenges.
• Quarterly HR benchmark survey for visibility on how your costs and other KPIs compare to others.
• Training on D&I for retail leaders wanting to improve skills as inclusive leaders through our Masterclass.
• Engagement with Skills England and Minister for Skills to shape the Growth and Skills Levy.

Supporting emissions reduction, nature and biodiversity and the move towards a more circular economy.

• Continued to push for further postponement of the £2bn extended producer responsibility scheme. Delayed four UK nation reporting for EPR.
• A strong voice in the new drinks deposit return scheme (DRS) governance to address costs concerns.
• Green Claims discussions with CMA and ASA to understand legal requirements and ensure compliance.
• Practical support and Government agreement to pragmatic enforcement of new back of store bin rules.
• Industry aligned guidance on compliance with pending EU deforestation (EUDR) regulations.
• Industry Plan for Nature to help prepare for reporting on environmental improvement in your supply chains.
• A relaunched Climate Action Roadmap to help deliver net zero strategies.
• Practical guidance on promotion of sustainable values of products complying with CMA's Green Claims code.
• A progressive approach to human rights, including in evidence to the Business Select Committee and new protocols on migrant workers in UK food supply chains.

Enhancing competitiveness, accelerating digital transformation and driving investment in technology and communities.

Property

• Research into the tax burden on retail showing, along with hospitality, that retail pays the highest proportion of profits in total business taxes. Event at Labour Party Conference to showcase research, with Exchequer Secretary.
• Aligned position on Business Rates multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties from April 2026, evidence in Parliament and ongoing government engagement to ensure no shop pays more.
• Scottish Government freeze of Basic Property Rate (business rate) ‘saving’ shops £2.3m.
• Welsh Government caps increase in the non-domestic rates multiplier at 1 per cent.
• Secured commitment from the Law Commission to retain ‘contracting out’ model of security of tenure.
• New Planning and Infrastructure Bill aims to increase effectiveness of councils’ planning decision making.
• A RICS Service Charge Code compatible with retailers’ priorities.

Food

• Removal of brand advertising restrictions and improved guidance for compliance with new regulations.
• Improved UK/EU trade deal to remove burdensome import/export requirements and the complexity of the Windsor Framework in moving food from GB to NI.
• Scottish Government dropped plans for a new £57m a year Grocer surtax.
• A Defra food strategy, due later this year, which has input from retailers and a focus on growth.
  Balanced contributions to debate on UPF including evidence to a key House of Lords Committee.
• Support and co-ordination in a number of food incidents, including significant microbiological problem with salad leaves.
• Reduced most burdensome obesity proposals in Scotland and Wales.
• New legislation to reduce the impact of Avian flu outbreaks on supply chains.

Operations

• A Standalone Offence in Crime and Policing Bill. Maintained pressure to include delivery drivers and respond to the increase in anti-social behaviour.
• Scottish Government agreed to launch a new £3m taskforce to tackle retail crime.
• Annual crime survey giving you visibility on how your costs compare to others.
• Continued engagement to ensure Martyn’s Law proposals are still proportionate avoiding unnecessary burdens.
• Regular engagement with Senior Police Representatives to highlight issues with police attendance and action.
• Engagement with Home Office to ensure new online knife sales proposals are practical.
• Commitment that new neighbourhood policing resources will specifically include retail.
• New Retail Crime Forum (successor to National Retail Crime Steering Group) to maintain pressure on police responses.
• Treasury opens consultation on design of a VAT relief on business donations of goods to charity for distribution to those in need, or use by the charity in the delivery of their services.
• A new Energy Costs Working Group focused on reducing the burden on retailers.

Trade & logistics

• Secured a Government review of the de minimis low value imports rules.
• Insight on US tariff changes and global trade reaction, including direct briefings from the Trade Department.
• Secured a change to import/export of food in the revised EU trade deal and improved access to Ministers for future discussions
• Horizon scanning on supply chain disruption with the Global Shipping Forum.
• Minimised the supply chain friction of new UK border controls for EU imports introduced in 2024.
• Guidance on the implementation of Russian sanctions.
• Technical surgeries with HMRC to reduce delays and costs and address member queries.

Legal

• Opportunities for engagement with regulators including ASA, CMA, OPSS, NCSC and officials in key Departments including DBT, Home Office and DSIT.
• New Price Marking Order substantially reflects industry priorities, with potential further changes to come.
• Discussions with CMA on expectations in new DMCC Act Guidance to avoid direct fines particularly on Fake Reviews and Drip Pricing.
• Presented new proposed regulatory principles to Government, aligned to its new Action Plan.  
• Engagement with Better Regulation bodies to reduce costs of excessive enforcement and expectations from overlapping enforcers.
• Ongoing series of meetings with NCSC for support to avoid costs of ever more sophisticated and costly cyber security attacks, including malvertising, AI, supply chain and ransomware.

Payments

• Payment Systems Regulator concludes on lack of competition in card fees market and proposes price cap for cross border interchange fees and greater transparency for scheme fees.
• Retail task group with City of London Police and Home Office to tackle customer fraud. Continued push for customer fraud to be included in the Government’s new Fraud Strategy. 
• Annual payments survey giving you visibility on how your costs compare to others.
• An industry seat on National Payments Vision Engagement Group, to improve payments resilience, infrastructure, innovation, and competition. 
• A retail voice in forums/working groups such as on Open Banking, the Bank of England's Central Bank Digital Currency Engagement Forum, and reform of SCOR.

Product safety

• Amendments in the new Product Safety Bill to require consultations on technical changes and insights on its implementation.
• Pragmatic implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill following evidence to the Bill Committee.
• Preparation for likely changes to furniture fire regulations to help planning with suppliers.
• Government guidance for retailers trading in Northern Ireland on the new EU General Product Safety Regulation. 
• Continued push for greater alignment between the UK and EU on product safety rules.
  On alignment, Government pushed to reconsider introduction of new energy efficiency labelling requirements on white goods.