Convenience stores have been ranked in the top three services making the biggest positive difference to communities, new data revealed today has shown.
Alongside pharmacies and post offices, convenience stores are the top services making the biggest difference, according to the new 2025 Community Barometer, released by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).
The survey asks UK consumers to rank 16 different local services on topics like supporting the local economy, having a positive impact and being the most essential. Across the main categories, pharmacies, Post Offices and convenience stores ranked as the clear top three.
The key results were:
- Most essential services: Pharmacies (first), Post Office (second), convenience stores (third)
- Most positive impact: Post Office, pharmacies, convenience stores
- Most important in supporting the local economy: Pub/bar, convenience stores, restaurants
The ACS Community Barometer also looks at the services people are most in need of locally. The most wanted service on UK high streets was banks, followed by specialist food shops in second and non-food shops (for example hardware stores) in third. At the other end of the scale, the businesses that people were keen to see less of were vape shops, pawnbrokers and fast food outlets.
ACS chief executive, James Lowman, said: “Communities across the UK clearly recognise the importance of their local convenience store in providing secure and flexible employment, supporting the local economy, and making an overall positive difference to the community.
“Our Community Barometer provides a blueprint for the kind of services that people want on their local high streets, and highlights the need for crucial services like banking, prescription collections and Post Offices - many of which are already housed within convenience stores.”
The ACS also asked consumers about the main reasons why they use their local convenience store.
Top ten reasons for visiting convenience stores
- Visit to top-up a main weekly shop
- Dropping off/collecting parcels
- Using Post Office services
- Getting additional shopping because ‘they’re the only shop that has what I need’
- Cash machines
- Doing the main shop for the week
- Buying lottery tickets or scratchcards
- An opportunity to get out of the house/see other people
- Paying bills or topping up electricity (eg Paypoint)
- Other services such as laundry, dry cleaning and more
Lowman continued: “It’s clear that people use their local shops for a diverse range of products and services, and increasingly as parcel hubs to bridge the gap between online and physical shopping, but also for more intangible things like social hubs.
“It’s the local knowledge and range of solutions we offer customers that makes us such an essential and resilient part of society and the economy. We’re proud of our members’ commitment to making everyone welcome in store and being at the heart of their communities.”
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