Corner shops lose out in shift to contactless cards

♦ The growing use of contactless card payments is damaging corner shops’ business by deterring younger customers, experts have said.

A general lack of technology in convenience stores, which means that shopkeepers only allow card purchases worth £5 or £10, is thought to be putting off younger customers.

Generations who have relied on such retailers for topping up on groceries or getting their daily paper, cigarettes or snacks, are dying out and are not being replaced by the more tech savvy youngsters, according to experts at retail analyst Him.

Although elderly shoppers still use them almost daily – with almost half of the over-75s going to their neighbourhood shop at least five times a week – the same is not true of younger adults.

Among those aged 18-24, only 28 per cent go to a convenience store daily, and this is likely to fall to 19 per cent over the next two decades. Young adults also work longer hours or commute further, so they do not pop in to the shop before and after work, but often order what they want online.