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Independent retailers welcome increased handling fee for DRS

Independent retailers welcome increased handling fee for DRS
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The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) has hailed the announcement that handling fees for participation in the forthcoming deposit return scheme (DRS) in Scotland are to be increased as a victory.

Circularity Scotland, the body charged with implementing DRS, originally proposed a handling fee of 3.55p per returned container for those using reverse vending machines. This has now been increased to 3.7p.


However, the fee for manual handling of containers will remain unchanged at 2.69 per item, which is less than ideal for owners of smaller stores.

Circularity Scotland says the return handling fee has been recalculated following feedback from industry and an independent assessment from PwC, which considered the impact of inflation and changes to the guidance around exemptions for return points announced by the Scottish Government last year.

The Fed’s national deputy vice president Mo Razzaq – who has a convenience store in Glasgow - has been involved in discussions with Circularity Scotland on behalf of the federation’s members in Scotland from the outset.

“We welcome the fact that our representations to Circularity Scotland have been heard and that they have listened to our concerns regarding the proposed handling fee for retailers who install reverse vending machines," he said.

“However, some smaller shops will not have the space for a machine and will have to store returned containers manually.

“With this in mind, and in the interests of fairness, we would like to see the manual handling fee increased accordingly and we will continue to press Circularity Scotland to do so.”

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New benefits scheme for Fed members

New benefits scheme for Fed members

The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has launched an exclusive benefits scheme for Fed members.

Called FedPlus, the scheme offers a range of discounts on a host of goods and activities, from everyday purchases to luxury products.

Through FedPlus, Fed members will have access to a range of fantastic money-saving benefits covering a wide variety of areas – from health and well-being to home and car essentials, and from food and drink to fashion and tech, entertainment, travel and experiences.

There is a Savings Calculator to show how much has been saved, based on monthly or annual spending, on a range of everyday categories. The Savings Calculator will generate a personal savings total and provide links to the individual deals.

Launching FedPlus, National President Mo Razzaq said: “In my inaugural speech at the Fed’s Annual Conference in June, I spoke about the importance of providing more benefits to help members make money, save money and make business easier.

“Just four months on, we are delighted to bring you FedPlus. This is an exciting new addition to our ever-growing list of member benefits which brings you quick, at your fingertips access to several offers across a wide range of categories so the money in your wallets and purses goes even further in these financially strained times.”

Members can access the scheme through thefedonline.com website. It went live yesterday (October 31).

FedPlus is managed and run for the Fed by Parliament Hill Limited, which has been providing benefit management solutions for membership organisations for the past 20 years. Top name companies offering discounts include Virgin Experience Days, Nuffield Health, Hotpoint, Halfords, Boots, Curry’s and EE.

Tom Sparke, joint managing director and client services director at Parliament Hill, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Fed to assist them in the fantastic support that it provides for its members.

“The Fed has a strong commitment to supporting its members, which aligns with the Parliament Hill ethos of placing the needs of our clients’ members at the heart of what we do.”

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