Trading standards – Sandwell Business Growth

Sandwell shops! Make sure your pricing displays comply with consumer law

Posted on 14 May 202414 May 2024 by Ethan Bailey

Here’s a brief guide to help you ensure your pricing displays meet legal requirements.

Running a successful business in Sandwell means more than just providing excellent products and services, it also involves adhering to consumer protection laws. Failing to comply with these regulations can lead to hefty fines and damage to your reputation.

Here’s what you need to know about pricing displays:

Selling price

Your prices must be clear and visible without customers needing to ask staff members. To comply, ensure that prices are:

Clearly displayed: Every product must have its price clearly shown.
Easy to read: Prices should be legible and understandable at a glance.
Close to the product: The price must be adjacent to the relevant item.
Consistent at checkout: The displayed price should match what customers are charged at the till.

For shops over 280 square meters, additional unit price information is mandatory.

Legal implications:

Failing to provide accurate price information can mislead customers and violate consumer law. Authorities like Trading Standards or the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can enforce these laws and impose fines.

For more information you can download this poster from the CMA.

Make sure your shop complies with consumer law to avoid penalties and keep your customers happy.

Trading standards spring updates

Posted on 18 April 202418 April 2024 by Marie

TSBN (Trading Standards Business News) is here for spring 2024 – a digital magazine covering trading standards news for businesses in our region. CenTSA, the organisation that publishes it, also has a survey for you and an offer of inclusion in the magazine.

CEnTSA stands for Central England Trading Standards Authorities. It’s a collaboration between fourteen trading standards services from local authorities across the West Midlands – including Sandwell Council.

CEnTSA’s spring 2024 edition of TSBN covers a wide range of topics, including new penalties for animal welfare offences, changes to food labelling, the dangers of importing sweets from the US, and updates on workers’ rights.

Get featured in TSBN

CenTSA has asked us to tell you about an opportunity for West Midlands business owners to contribute to the magazine. There are two slots available each quarter for relevant articles. If accepted, your piece would include your name, business name, and photo or logo, bringing valuable exposure as well as a chance to contribute useful information to readers.

Perhaps you have a specialist area of expertise to convey, or you’ve overcome a unique compliance hurdle that you’d like to share with others? Email centsa@warwickshire.gov.uk if you’re interested in writing a piece.

How can trading standards support you better?

CenTSA is also looking to understand the needs of your business and how trading standards authorities in the West Midlands region can better engage with you.

Here are eighteen simple questions that should take less than four minutes to answer – can you help?

About the Trading Standards Team at Sandwell Council

Sandwell Council’s Trading Standards Team uses a national intelligence-led approach to tackling problems such as illegal cigarettes, overcharging, mis-labelled food and counterfeit goods. By stopping rogue traders they instil the public’s confidence in our thousands of reputable Sandwell businesses.

They are also here to help credible businesses operate legally and fairly.

Have a look at our trading standards page for information about their support:

Trading Standards Business News: winter edition

Posted on 14 December 202314 December 2023 by Kate Christie

The winter 2023 edition of Trading Standards Business News is available online. It contains tips on how to stay warm and safe this winter, food safety and allergen advice, an XL Bully update, news on new laws around single use plastics and advice on Christmas lights safety, amongst other seasonal topics.

Trading Standards Business News (TSBN) is a digital magazine published by Central England Trading Standards Authorities (CEnTSA).

It is a collaboration between fourteen trading standards services within local authorities across the West Midlands – including Sandwell. Together they aim to maximise the impact that individual services have, supporting businesses in our region to trade legally and fairly while promoting economic growth.

CEnTSA’s Trading Standards Business News is full of advice to help you and your business thrive while staying on the right side of the law. Each edition covers a wide range of business sectors and signposts you to further information.

What’s inside the winter 2023 edition of TSBN?

The magazine includes articles for SMEs, food businesses, entertainment venues and dog breeders as well as information on seasonal safety and age-restricted sales requirements for retailers.

The winter 2023 edition of TSBN contains guidance on the strict new rules coming in for American XL Bully owners and breeders, the latest bird flu report, information for businesses about the single-use plastics ban that come into force in October this year – identifying banned items and outlining the consequences if they supply or sell prohibited items. .

There is a report on vaping, containing information on age verification checks and advice on what is legal and staff training. And information about food hygiene and safety, outlining the 4Cs – cleaning, cooking, chilling and cross-contamination.

This edition also contains guidance on keeping your staff warm this winter despite soaring energy costs. It reminds employers that turning down the heating could directly impact the health and wellbeing of their staff.

There is information for retailers on how to beat thieves this festive season – the time of year when increased crowds make it easier for thieves to target businesses. There is also guidance for homeowners on burning authorised fuels and the consequences for breaching the rules.

Word from the editor

In her welcome to the final edition of TSBN of the year, editor Frances Darling said: “Once again, the hard working TSBN team has brought together a broad range of articles that will hopefully prove useful – so please do read on for the detail and feel free to circulate this and future editions to other organisations and your colleagues. Don’t forget to let us know if there are topics you want us to include in future editions.”

Where can I read the winter 2023 edition of TSBN?

You can read the latest TSBN in a browser on your computer or download the TSBN app for Apple and Android devices. The digital magazine content is interactive – so clicking on the web links will take you to the relevant page or website.

You can find past editions of TSBN here.

For information and advice from Sandwell Council on how to comply with trading standards – from labelling food, or selling age-restricted products to displaying weights and prices – visit our trading Standards page:

Bonfire Night, rugby and e-scooters: the latest in Trading Standards Business News

Posted on 19 September 202320 September 2023 by Marie

The autumn 2023 edition of Trading Standards Business News (TSBN) is available online.

Central England Trading Standards Authorities (CEnTSA) has published this digital magazine.

CEnTSA is a collaboration between fourteen trading standards services within local authorities across the West Midlands – including Sandwell. Together they aim to maximise the impact that individual services have, supporting businesses in our region to trade legally and fairly while promoting economic growth.

TSBN is full of advice to help you and your business thrive while staying on the right side of the law. Each edition covers a wide range of business sectors and signposts you to further information.

The magazine includes articles for retailers, SMEs, food businesses, international traders and entertainment venues. It also has information on seasonal safety and avoiding fraud.

So what’s inside the autumn 2023 edition of TSBN?

The autumn 2023 edition of TSBN contains tips and guidance on Halloween and Bonfire Night safety, general business fire safety advice, plus a focus on health and safety in pubs and bars during the men’s Rugby World Cup.

There is information on cyber security, and the sale of age-restricted items such as knives, fireworks and alcohol. For anyone involved in the food industry, you’ll find guidance on use-by dates and pest control – plus the latest on avian influenza.

Editor Frances Darling said: “Autumn brings with it Halloween and Bonfire Night, both of which have significant safety implications for many businesses, so we have provided relevant product safety guidance to help you stay legal and protect your customers.

“The safety theme continues with articles covering fire safety and regulatory requirements relating to e-bikes and e-scooters; the fire risk associated with lithium-ion batteries in these products is currently a very urgent topic.”

This edition also looks at the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and gives an update on the work being done to improve compliance levels amongst letting agents.

Where you can read Trading Standards Business News

Read the autumn 2023 edition of TSBN.

Read past editions of TSBN here.

Beware of illicit tobacco sales: advice to Sandwell businesses

Posted on 26 July 202322 August 2023 by Administrator

You can be fined up to £10,000 for selling illicit tobacco. So we’ve got information to help your Sandwell business do the right thing.

Since 20 July 2023, local authorities have had greater authority to address the issue of illicit tobacco sales. You can now be fined up to £10,000 for selling illicit tobacco. This applies to individuals and businesses.

For our business community in Sandwell, it’s essential to be aware of the sanctions that now apply:

The penalties for individuals and businesses breaking UK Tobacco Track and Trace regulations can range from £2,500 to £10,000
Offenders may have their tobacco products seized
Businesses can have their economic operator ID withdrawn so they lose their ability to purchase tobacco for resale in the UK.

“The trade in illegal tobacco affects honest businesses”

Illicit tobacco sales have significant adverse effects on both the economy and public health. So combatting the illicit tobacco trade is of utmost importance for our community’s wellbeing.

Lord Michael Bichard is Chair of National Trading Standards. He said: “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. Having removed 27 million illegal cigarettes, 7,500kg of hand rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, the National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC continues to successfully disrupt this illicit trade.”

If your Sandwell business is involved with the supply of tobacco (manufacturing, selling, transporting or transloading), here is the government guidance you need.

At the gov.uk website, you can also read more about the new Tobacco Track and Trace penalties.

Sandwell Council’s Trading Standards Team will enforce the new Tobacco Track and Trace penalties to keep customers safe and protect the reputations of Sandwell businesses that do the right thing.

Trading Standards Business News: BBQs and business scams

Posted on 21 July 202322 August 2023 by Administrator

The summer 2023 edition of Trading Standards Business News is available online.

Trading Standards Business News (TSBN) includes articles for rural enterprises, international traders and businesses working with food and outdoor events, as well as information on staff training and avoiding fraud.

The digital magazine is published by Central England Trading Standards Authorities (CEnTSA). This is a collaboration between fourteen trading standards services within local authorities across the West Midlands – including Sandwell. Together they aim to maximise the impact that individual services have, supporting businesses in our region to trade legally and fairly while promoting economic growth.

CEnTA’s Trading Standards Business News is full of advice to help you and your business thrive while staying on the right side of the law. Each edition covers a wide range of business sectors and signposts you to further information.

What’s inside the summer 2023 edition of TSBN?

You can read the latest TSBN in a browser on your computer or download the TSBN app for Apple and Android devices. The digital magazine content is interactive – so clicking on the web links will take you to the relevant page or website.

Following Sprinkler Safety Week in May, the magazine includes information about sprinkler systems and how to help keep people and buildings safe from fire. It also offers tips on how to identify ever-evolving business scams and minimise potential losses.

Editor Frances Darling said: “I hope the advice provided in this issue helps ease the regulatory compliance challenges that businesses face on a regular basis. If there are regulatory issues affecting you directly that you would like us to cover, please get in touch and let us know.”

Read the summer 2023 edition of TSBN.

You can read past editions of TSBN here.