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The ACS Rural Shop Report, launched today (Tuesday), reveals that half of rural stores operate with no other retail or service businesses nearby, acting as a lifeline for their customers.
It said that these stores should not be forgotten by the government as it carries out its levelling-up strategy.
As well as providing a walk-in convenience store, rural shops often provide local delivery services (29%), cash machines (48%) and post offices (22%), says the report.
It also shows that if the local shop disappeared, customers would have to travel an average of 3.3 miles to find another place to get what they need.
Last year, rural convenience stores made £15.8bn in sales and their average customer visited 2.5 times a week.
James Lowman, ACS chief executive, said: “Rural shops are a lifeline to thousands of communities and have gone above and beyond to ensure they can keep providing essentials throughout all of the disruption caused by supply chain issues and the ongoing pandemic.
“This is despite rural shops facing significant additional challenges compared with their more-urban counterparts – thousands of rural shops do not have adequate broadband or mobile coverage and many are at the farthest tip of their supply chains, struggling to get a choice of supply and the full range of products their customers need.
“Providing targeted support to rural shops and other rural businesses must be integral to the government’s levelling-up agenda to ensure the gap between rural stores and their urban counterparts doesn’t widen even further.”
Additional key findings from this year’s report include:
- Over the last year, rural retailers have invested about £195m in their businesses
- Rural shops provide local, secure and flexible employment to more than 138,000 people
- 79% of rural convenience stores are independently owned
Minister for Rural Affairs Lord Benyon said: “Rural businesses are central to this government’s ambitious levelling-up agenda.
“This report illustrates the vital role which rural shops play in sustaining their communities, both through their significant economic contribution and as valuable social hubs.
“The report also demonstrates their fundamental resilience and the success of government initiatives to help such businesses keep going throughout the pandemic.
“By better understanding the needs and experiences of rural businesses, we can continue to help rural areas grow and improve as we build back better.”
