The importance of local convenience stores

Margaret Mullane, Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham, has released information on the importance of local convenience stores.

The Association of Convenience Stores has launched the Local Shop Report 2024 which provides key insights into the convenience store sector, including store and job figures, sales statistics, direct tax contributions and investments made by convenience retailers.

Margaret commented “I support the important role of local convenience stores in Dagenham and Rainham. These stores are often the invaluable glue that connects local communities.

Across the constituency there are 79 stores employing 693 people. In the UK we have 50,387 convenience stores with jobs for around 445,000 people. But it’s not just those numbers that make these shops so important, many independent retailers participate in local formal community engagement as well as informally being good neighbours to the people and customers in the areas they serve.”

Margaret went on to add “This is why it has been so important for me to have been working with the Police across Dagenham, Rainham and Elm Park to achieve a crackdown on the spate of shop lifting that has blighted some areas and has put staff in those shops under attack.”