Like many independent retailers, David Standing, joint owner and manager of Weston Post Office & Stores in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, with his wife Mae, is struggling with red tape.
In particular, the new licensing laws and waste regulations are proving considerable headaches.
“We’ve just had the letter through granting us our premise licence,” says Standing. “But it’s the ongoing costs that concern me. Under the old system we paid £30 for a licence, covering us for three years.
“Licensing this time round has cost us £400, not to mention ongoing inflationary costs. Getting as far as we’ve got now has been horrendous.”
Standing said that the EU Animal By-Products Regulation enforcing the segregation of food waste could cause him additional problems. “At the moment it looks as though small shops will be exempt from disposing of sandwiches. But if that turns
out not to be true, we’ll have to pay a major contractor to take the waste away.”
And new rules requiring the incineration of food waste mean he will also have to fork out more for disposal. He said he would have to do a lot of reading up on his responsibilities before January 1, when the regulations are due to come into force.
The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, which has just taken effect, could potentially create further costs for him.
The new rules give consumers the right to take electrical equipment back to the supplier for disposal.
“We’re hoping Spar will pick up this responsibility. Our packaging waste already goes back to Spar redistribution depots,” says Standing, whose shop is supplied by Spar UK.
Aside from these issues, he said he was looking at boosting his shop’s selection of locally sourced products through the Foodsmiles project driven by Oaklands College, St Albans.
In particular, the new licensing laws and waste regulations are proving considerable headaches.
“We’ve just had the letter through granting us our premise licence,” says Standing. “But it’s the ongoing costs that concern me. Under the old system we paid £30 for a licence, covering us for three years.
“Licensing this time round has cost us £400, not to mention ongoing inflationary costs. Getting as far as we’ve got now has been horrendous.”
Standing said that the EU Animal By-Products Regulation enforcing the segregation of food waste could cause him additional problems. “At the moment it looks as though small shops will be exempt from disposing of sandwiches. But if that turns
out not to be true, we’ll have to pay a major contractor to take the waste away.”
And new rules requiring the incineration of food waste mean he will also have to fork out more for disposal. He said he would have to do a lot of reading up on his responsibilities before January 1, when the regulations are due to come into force.
The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, which has just taken effect, could potentially create further costs for him.
The new rules give consumers the right to take electrical equipment back to the supplier for disposal.
“We’re hoping Spar will pick up this responsibility. Our packaging waste already goes back to Spar redistribution depots,” says Standing, whose shop is supplied by Spar UK.
Aside from these issues, he said he was looking at boosting his shop’s selection of locally sourced products through the Foodsmiles project driven by Oaklands College, St Albans.
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