Bob Doris MSP meets the Fed’s Deputy Vice President Nathalie Fullerton in Glasgow

(Pictured: Bob Doris MSP and Nathalie Fullerton)

The Fed’s Deputy Vice President, Nathalie Fullerton, met her local constituency MSP the SNP’s Bob Doris at her business in the West End of Glasgow on Friday 23 October where they spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing small shops like hers.

Mr Doris has served in the Scottish Parliament since 2007 and was re-elected to represent the surrounding Maryhill and Springburn constituency in May during this year’s Holyrood election. Ms Fullerton’s Go Local branded independent business is located on Dumbarton Road, close to Partick Station.

During the discussion, Ms Fullerton highlighted her experience representing retailers through a range of platform’s including Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Task Force and her election in June as the Fed’s Deputy Vice President.

She also spoke of continuing problems with theft, as well as the Fed’s work across Scotland and the UK to get the Holyrood and Westminster governments to do more to tackle illicit black-market tobacco. They also discussed upcoming regulatory change, including aspects of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, including restrictions on vapes and the generational smoking ban which will start in January.

They also spoke about the Fed’s plans to encourage members to participate in the Deposit Return (DRS) when it goes live in October next year. Ms Fullerton recently registered for DRS herself and already has a return point in store, ready to go so local shoppers can return their bottles and cans, redeeming a 20p deposit to encourage them to recycle.

Ms Fullerton also highlighted the range of cost pressures facing small shops including energy bills and tax and spoke about the role that the Scottish government has setting business rates which the Fed wants it to control so as to lessen rising costs for small shops.

Commenting, Nathalie Fullerton said: “It was excellent to meet Bob and I appreciated his interest. I look forward to working with him in the future, both here in Glasgow and at the Scottish Parliament.”

Bob Doris MSP said: “I was impressed about her work as an independent and also her leadership role in the Federation of Independent Retailers. It was a very useful meeting and I look forward to picking up on these points in Holyrood and working with her in the future.”