NEWS
6 ASIAN TRADER 21 MARCH 2025
Independent retailers’
association The Fed has
expressed extreme
disappointment that
PayPoint’s monthly
service fee is to rise
from April. PayPoint, on
the other hand, has
reiterated that the rise
in the fees is in line with
“standard RPI increase”
as well as increase in commis-
sions.
The rise follows PayPoint’s
annual review of its prices
against the retail price index
(RPI). It adds that on February
19, 2025, RPI stood at 3.6%.
However, Mo Razzaq, the
Fed’s National President
described the move as “ex-
tremely disappointing” coming
at a time when independent
retailers were facing unprece-
dented challenges.
He said, “Fed members are
being tested to the limits.
Costs are rising, retail crime is
at its highest levels yet and
independent retailers are
beset with red tape.
“In April, businesses are
already facing the perfect
storm of increases both to
national insurance contribu-
tions and the national
minimum wage. Now, they
will have this increase from
PayPoint to contend with.”
In 2022 and 2023 – and
following discussions
with Fed officials – al-
though the payment
specialist increased
its service fee charge,
it absorbed the
additional costs
caused by inflation to
protect its network of
retailers. Last year,
the full increase was
applied.
After being advised of the
impending increase at a
meeting with PayPoint last
month, Fed officials asked the
company to think again.
Razzaq said, “It is a huge
blow that although we raised
the concerns of members with
PayPoint, this appears to have
fallen on deaf ears and, once
again, the company is raising
its monthly service fee in line
with the RPI.”
Fed dismayed as PayPoint hikes service rates again
Retailers body criticises
Retailers body criticises
PayPoint for raising fee
PayPoint for raising fee
Shocking details of racial and
sexual abuse have emerged in
retail trade union Usdaw’s
annual crime survey, which
also reports increasing
number of shop thefts. The
report also shows that
violence continues to remain
at “double the pre-pandemic
levels”.
Based on the survey of
nearly 10,000 retail staf,
Usdaw’s report shows that
shoplifting has nearly
doubled since the pandemic
and rose by 23% last year.
The survey also found that
while the situation has
improved since the excep-
tionally high levels during the
pandemic, abuse, threats and
assaults remain higher than
pre-Covid levels in 2019.
Usdaw’s survey of 9,481
retail staf found that in the
last twelve months, most
retail workers (77%) experi-
enced verbal abuse, while half
(53%) reported to have been
threatened by a customer.
About one in 10 were assault-
ed.
The report notes that the
leading cause of customer
frustration is short stafng.
Harassment is relatively
low among the whole sample,
but the survey found that
racial harassment among all
non-white workers is 48% and
is slightly higher at 52% for
non-white women. One third
of women under 27 sufered
sexism.
Usdaw reveals shocking details
of abuse against retail staf
Shocking 14,000% surge
Shocking 14,000% surge
in illegal vape seizures
in illegal vape seizures
Essex has seen a staggering rise of
over 14,000% in illegal vape
seizures in the past 12 months, a
new report has revealed.
Two illegal vapes were seized
every minute in 2024, with almost
£9m of illegal products removed from
UK streets. The number of illegal
vapes seized year-on-year since 2020
saw a dramatic 100-fold increase in
the potentially dangerous products.
In England, London contributed
to nearly half of all illegal vape
seizures (47%), while Newport, in
Wales, saw significant increases
contributing to 70% of Wales’ total
seizures.
Suppliers sign-up for
Suppliers sign-up for
TWC’s reporting solution
TWC’s reporting solution
Coca-Cola and KP Snacks are
among first five suppliers to sign up
to WholeView reporting solution by
TWC, the data and insight special-
ists for the wholesale sector.
TWC’s WholeView is a platform
for suppliers who want to aggre-
gate wholesale shipments data
bought from multiple wholesalers
into a “single version of the truth”
online reporting tool.
Data is cleansed, merged and
then aggregated by TWC’s hugely
data quality team before being
delivered quickly and securely via
TWC’s market leading dashboards
to an unlimited number of users at
the supplier organisation.
Smiths News CFO
Smiths News CFO
to step down
to step down
The news wholesaler said its chief
financial ofcer Paul Baker will be
leaving the company.
He is set to join a large private
business, operating in a diferent
sector, the company said in a
regulatory filing.
He will remain with Smiths News
to ensure a seamless transition of
responsibilities, as the company
now commences the search for his
successor.
Baker joined Smiths News in
2021 from Compass Group, where
he was serving as the finance
director for Europe. He previously
worked at Bird’s Eye and Cadbury
as CFO.