Small shopkeepers among UK’s hardest workers
Small shopkeepers are among the hardest working professionals in the UK according to new figures released by the Association of Convenience Stores.
The upcoming ACS Local Shop Report has revealed that 60% of UK convenience store retailers work more than 50 hours in an average week, while just 7% work fewer than 30 hours a week. They also take very little holiday, with 51% claiming to take less than 10 days off a year and one in five reported taking no holiday at all.
The ACS said that as many local shops are open all year round and are often small family businesses, some owners have no other option but to work throughout the year.
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “The stores we’re talking about here are our members’ livelihoods, so it’s not surprising that they work long hours to be successful. Some of our members are in store at four or five in the morning to receive the day’s newspapers and are still there late at night closing up every day of the week.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“You can add to these figures the many hours spent outside the store but working in the community on local events and initiatives. We know that 89% of local shops play an active role in the community, on top of spending every day engaging with customers behind the counter.”
Coventry retailer Paul Cheema said: “My family have been running the store for decades, and it’s important to us to be here for our customers every day from first thing in the morning until late at night. Putting in long hours, whether it be in the store or getting stuck in with the community is paramount to the success of our business.”
The ACS points out that the hours worked by self-employed retailers is far greater than the legal maximum working week and the minimum holidays required under the Working Time Directive. Under EU rules adopted by the Labour government, workers cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours per week, and must be allowed to take 5.6 weeks holiday – the equivalent of 28 days for full time staff.
The full Local Shop report will be published on 24 September.
