LONDON – A new survey by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) in the United Kingdom shows that convenience stores and post offices are viewed as the services that had the most positive impact on their local community, reports Insight this week. According to the survey, coffee shops, pharmacies and specialty food shops followed close behind when it comes to positive public sentiment.

“Convenience stores have long been established at the heart of their communities, so it’s encouraging to see that the general public and councilors recognize the impact that they have on their local area,” said ACS Chief Executive James Lowman. “Local shops have revolutionized their offer to customers over recent years, with many now providing hot food to go, coffee, parcel services and a great core convenience offering.”

The report also looked at the retail services that consumers would like to see more of, finding that while people are generally happy with the number of convenience stores, pharmacies and pubs in their area, there is a real need for more restaurants, specialty food shops and banks. Not surprisingly, betting shops and pawnbrokers were revealed to be the least popular retail services for consumers.

The full report is available from ACS, here.