Keep retailers in the loop on new legislation
THE Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) has called on the Scottish Government to keep retailers up to date for the proposed cup charges scheme.
In response to ScotGov’s consultation on the matter, the Fed has said that store owners should be given at least six months notice to prepare for the incoming legislation to ensure they are prepared.
Mo Razzaq, national president at the Fed, said: “It is vital for the Scottish government to communicate clear instructions to retailers on how the scheme is to be administered, to communicate the ‘how and why’ to customers and to allow retailers enough time to prepare for the changes.
“Communication was one of the key weaknesses of the deposit return scheme, as it seems to have been considered at a late stage – even though the ask to consumers and retailers involved a major behavioural change. We would hope lessons have been learned from this.
“A clear and simple administrative process and a clear and effective communication campaign is essential to ensure that retailers and consumers understand they why and the how.”
The Fed has argued that retailers will now face a tranche of new problems in regards to the new disposable cup charge including keeping a record of the number of single-use disposable cups charged for; the charge paid for them; the amount retailers are entitled to deduct to calculate the net proceeds as well as the net proceeds raised by the charge.
Further to this, the Fed believes that retailers should be allowed to keep the funds generated and redirected to local worthy causes, in a similar manner to carrier bag charges.
Razzaq said: “We would anticipate that 25p is a sufficient incentive for many customer to remember to bring their own cup. A higher price might encourage customers to go without a drink if they haven’t brought their own cup.
“Retailers would welcome the ability to support good causes in their communities, a long-established tradition in local convenience stores.
“This could be a local hospice or sports team or local school very much deserving of support.”
