Trading standards - your regulatory needs as a business
Guidance for you to identify and assess your regulatory needs.
This guide is intended to assist start-ups or new businesses identify which areas of consumer law may apply to their business.
In many cases we hope that this will be sufficient to enable businesses to start trading legally without further guidance.
Where additional guidance is required a fixed fee guidance and advice package is available. Please contact us for further details.
Additional guidance will only be provided once the full Regulatory Needs Assessment check list (Word) is completed. After reading the guidance, please identify which areas of law require clarification. This will help us focus our guidance and maximise the best use of the 5 hours available.
This guidance
These links are being provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Worcestershire County Council of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organisation or individual expressed therein.
Worcestershire County Council bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
This information or our document is not designed to be a replacement for professional advice and is intended only for guidance. Only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.
Guidance for regulatory needs
1. Forming your business.
Do you intend to trade as a limited company, sole trader, or partnership?
- Home | Business Companion
- Company registration and filing: Starting a company - detailed information - GOV.UK
- Company and business names | Business Companion
2. Where do you intend to trade from? Do you need planning permission?
3. Do you need to register or require a licence?
Read the quick guides first. Only read the in-depth guidance if you are sure it applies to your business.
Business area | Guidance |
---|---|
a. Food | |
b. Disposal of food waste | |
c. Selling alcohol | |
d. Dog breeding establishments | |
e. Boarding for cats and dogs | |
f. Pet shops | |
g. Consumer credit | |
h. Storage of explosives or firework | |
i. Petroleum storage | |
j. Street Traders Licence |
4. Employers’ liability
5. Growing, selling, preparing, manufacturing, or importing food
If you propose to grow, sell, prepare, manufacture, or import food, are you aware of the rules relating to food labelling and hygiene?
- Packaging and labelling | Food Standards Agency
- Business guidance | Food Standards Agency
- Home | Business Companion
- Food hygiene for farmers and growers | Business Companion
- EU Food Labelling – Brexit Information
6. Animal feeding
If you propose to sell, prepare, manufacture, or import animal feeding stuffs, are you aware of the rules relating labelling and hygiene?
- Starting an animal feed business | Food Standards Agency
- Mixing feed on-farm | Business Companion
- Feed Businesses - Worcestershire Trading Standards
- Feed hygiene for transporters and hauliers
- Raw pet food for direct sale or animal by-products to be fed to fur animals to, or transit through, the European Union and Northern Ireland: certificate 8306 - GOV.UK
- Animal Feed - Brexit Information
7. Fertilisers
If you propose to sell, manufacture, or import fertilisers?
- Manufacturing and marketing fertilisers - GOV.UK
- AIC | Legislation and Guidance
- Fertilisers Regulation 2021 UK Guidance – Brexit Information
8. Understanding legislative areas
The following legislative areas may affect your business depending on what you manufacture, import, sell or the service you provide.
Read the quick guides first. Only read the in-depth guidance if you are sure it applies to your business.
Business area | Guidance |
---|---|
a. Product safety |
|
b. Describing goods and services | |
c. Pricing and offers | |
d. Selling goods via the internet or mail order (Distance selling) | |
e. Weights and Measures | |
f. Trademarks and counterfeiting | |
g. Design and Copyright | |
h. Unfair Trading | |
i. Age restricted products
|
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of age restricted products or services.
9. Protecting your intellectual property
10. Home Improvement Services (builders, roofers, gas and electrical work)
Read the guides above first. Only read the in-depth guidance if you are sure it applies to your business.
If your business is in home improvements, you should be aware of the following:
Business area | Guidance |
---|---|
a. Consumer Contracts off trade premises | |
b. Supply of services | |
c. Sale and supply of goods and services | |
d. Membership logos and claims | |
e. Unfair trading | |
f. Gas installations | |
g. Electrical installations | |
h. Bio mass and solid fuel appliances | |
i. Liquid fuel heating storage, appliance, and supply |
11. Websites
It is important that your online business is compliant, this means ensuring your website is compliant with the relevant regulations. There are specific requirements laid down in several regulations that will be relevant to your online business.
- Consumer contracts: distance sales | Business Companion
- Consumer Rights Act: Goods - Guidance for Business
- Company and business names | Business Companion
- Consumer contracts: distance sales | Business Companion
- Consumer contracts: distance sales | Business Companion
- Guide to Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations | ICO
12. Where else can I get help?
a. There is a huge amount of help available to businesses.
- Support for Businesses Worcestershire County Council
- Get help and support for your business - GOV.UK
- Make an Appointment | FSB
- Finance and support for your business - GOV.UK
- What support is available for my small business? - GOV.UK
b. Trade and business associations will keep you up to date in developments in your profession or trade.
c. If you trade or operate across local authority boundaries joining Trading Standards in a Primary Authority Partnership may be of benefit to your business.
d. If you work in the home improvement sector you could consider joining our local approved trader scheme
Contact us
- Address: Wyre Forest House, Finepoint Way, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY11 7WF
- Telephone: 01905 822799
- General Email: TSEnquiries@worcestershireTS.gov.uk
- Primary Authority Email: Primary.Authority@WorcestershireTS.gov.uk