Advocating for retailers directly to Scottish politicians
GLASGOW retailer Nathalie Fullerton has met with SNP MSP Bob Doris at her Go Local store in Partick to advocate for retailers directly to the politician.
As part of her role as deputy vice president at The Fed (The Federation of Independent Retailers), Nathalie spoke with Doris extensively about the challenges and opportunities currently facing retailers as well as her own personal experiences through the trade.
During the discussion, Nathalie spoke about her time representing retailers through a range of platforms including Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce, as well as through her position at The Fed.
She also spoke more widely around the problems with theft in the sector, as well as the Fed’s ongoing work across Scotland and the UK to get both Holyrood and Westminster to do more to tackle the rising illicit trade. In the same vein, the two also discussed upcoming regulatory change extensively including the Tobacco & Vapes Act, focusing on restrictions set to come for vapes and the generational smoking ban, which will start in January.
Doris, who is the local MSP for the surrounding Maryhill and Springburn constituency, had the opportunity to engage with different aspects of the convenience retail journey including the upcoming DRS with a hands-on opportunity with the TROVR QUBE reverse vending machine.
Nathalie also highlighted the range of cost pressures currently on retailers including energy bills and tax rises and spoke about the role the Scottish Government could play in cutting these burdens when the set business rate for the Scottish Budget in the coming months.
Speaking on the meeting, Nathalie said: “It was excellent to meet Bob and I appreciated his interest. I look forward to working with him in the future, both here in Glasgow and at the Scottish Parliament.”
Doris said: “I was impressed about her work as an independent and also her leadership role in the Federation of Independent Retailers. It was a very useful meeting and I look forward to picking up on these points in Holyrood and working with her in the future.”
