Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

More c-stores to supply cash as ATMs close

Scheme enabling cash to customers without Purchase
Representative iStock image
Getty Images

Shoppers will soon be able to take cash from convenience stores as a scheme enabling cash to customers without having to make a purchase is being expanded rapidly over the next few weeks, stated recent reports.

The scheme began with a trial in 900 stores, and will soon be used in 2,000 shops.


The system operates through a PayPoint network in local stores, and is backed by Link, which oversees the UK's cash machine network, said the reports.

People using the service can choose to withdraw any amount between 1p and £50, rather than just the notes dispensed by an ATM. They do not have to buy anything in the shop to receive the money, and are not charged a fee, said the reports.

Retailers receive a fee from the cardholder's bank each time the cashback service is used, and groups representing shopkeepers have given a guarded welcome to its expansion.

During the year-long trial, more than 24,800 transactions have been made, with an average withdrawal of £27.81.

The requirement for the service is the result of disappearing free-to-use ATMs, particularly in less populated areas. There was a 25 per cent drop in the number of free-to-use cash machines between January 2018 and October this year, reports said.

iStock 174817352 Representative iStock image

Link's own figures suggested that while some wealthier parts of Edinburgh and London saw a sharp fall in demand for cash machines, there remained a greater reliance on cash in areas such as Liverpool, Bradford and Birmingham.

"Alternative ways of providing cash are essential, which is why we welcome the extension," BBC quoted Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium, as saying.

"Nonetheless, the provision of cashback is not suitable for all retailers as it often requires them to hold significantly more cash than normal – putting them at an increased crime risk. For this reason, the availability of free-to-use ATMs in all parts of the country remains essential."

The trial, and subsequent extension of the scheme, is part of a wider project by the UK government trying to ensure notes and coins are accessible to everyone who needs them across the UK.

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less