Business guidance

Retail & Consumer Goods

Alcohol licensing in Northern Ireland

How alcohol licensing works in Northern Ireland — court-granted licences, 5-year renewal, 13 licence categories, permitted hours, and the role of PSNI.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Alcohol licensing in Northern Ireland: court-granted licences

How Northern Ireland's court-based alcohol licensing system works, including the 13 licence categories, 5-year renewal requirement, the role of the PSNI, the surrender principle, permitted hours, and how the system differs from England, Wales, and Scotland.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Alcohol licensing in Scotland

How alcohol licensing works in Scotland under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 — five licensing objectives, Licensing Boards, premises and personal licences, occasional licences, overprovision, and minimum unit pricing.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Alcohol licensing requirements

How to obtain a premises licence to sell alcohol in England and Wales, including application process, fees, designated premises supervisor requirements, and licensing objectives.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Allergen control systems and Natasha's Law

Implement comprehensive allergen management systems and comply with Natasha's Law PPDS labelling requirements.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Avoid selling counterfeit goods

Protect your business from counterfeit goods liability. Covers supplier due diligence, trade mark verification, Trading Standards seizure powers, penalties, and online marketplace duties.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Biocides and Pesticides Authorisation

Get HSE CRD authorisation for biocidal and pesticidal products.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Buy Now Pay Later regulation: what businesses need to know

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and other Deferred Payment Credit products come under FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. This guide explains what is changing, who needs to act, how the temporary permissions regime works, and the key compliance requirements for providers and merchants.

Retail & Consumer Goods

CLP Chemical Classification and Labelling

Classify, label and package hazardous chemicals under GB CLP.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Comply with credit advertising rules

How to advertise consumer credit products compliantly under FCA rules. Covers representative APR requirements, triggered information, social media advertising, risk warnings for high-cost credit, and the FCA financial promotions approval process.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Doing business in Northern Ireland: key differences from Great Britain

Comprehensive reference of the key regulatory divergences between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Covers employment law, equality legislation, planning, business rates, health and safety, product standards, alcohol licensing, fire safety, and the Windsor Framework dual regulatory regime.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Electrical product safety compliance

How to comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 when placing electrical products on the Great Britain market. Covers safety objectives, voltage scope, conformity assessment, technical documentation, UKCA and CE marking, EMC Regulations overlap, and RoHS requirements for electrical and electronic equipment.

Retail & Consumer Goods

EV Charging Infrastructure

Install EV chargepoints and access government grants.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Food and drink business licensing and compliance

Navigate the complete range of licences, registrations, certifications, and consents required for food and drink businesses across production, sales, export, and environmental compliance.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Food and drink regulations and traceability

Comply with HFSS labelling, traceability requirements, alcohol duty obligations, packaging regulations, waste disposal, and animal by-products rules.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Food business registration

Register your food business with your local authority before starting operations.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Food traceability, withdrawal, and recall

Maintain food traceability records using the one step back, one step forward principle, and follow the correct procedures if you need to withdraw or recall unsafe food.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Get a personal licence to sell alcohol in Scotland

How to obtain a Scottish personal licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, including the SCPLH qualification, Disclosure Scotland check, application process, fees, renewal, and refresher training requirements.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Get approved and pay duty as an alcohol producer: beer, spirits, wine and cider

If you brew beer, distil spirits, make wine or cider, ferment other products or malt grain, you must hold an HMRC Alcoholic Products Producer Approval (APPA) before you start producing. This guide walks you through getting approved, submitting duty returns, registering as a wholesaler, claiming Small Producer Relief, protecting a geographical indication, licensing a taproom and controlling grain dust in malting.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Late night refreshment licence

Understand when you need authorisation to supply hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am. Covers what counts as late night refreshment, exemptions, local authority deregulation powers, the application process, and devolved nation differences.

Retail & Consumer Goods

MHRA authorisation for medicines and medical devices

How to obtain MHRA authorisation for medicines and medical devices in the UK. Covers Marketing Authorisations, wholesale dealer licences, manufacturer licences, and medical device registration including UKCA vs CE marking.

Retail & Consumer Goods

MHRA licensing for medicines and medical devices

MHRA licensing requirements for manufacturing, distributing, and importing medicines and medical devices in the UK.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Minimum unit pricing compliance for alcohol retailers

How to calculate and apply minimum unit pricing for alcohol sales in Scotland, including enforcement and penalties.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Motor trade compliance checklist

A confirmation checklist for motor trade businesses. Work through the cross-cutting duties every motor business shares, then the section for what you do — selling vehicles, repair and MOT, parts, or dismantling and salvage. Several duties differ by nation, so check the rule for where you operate.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Northern Ireland business compliance checklist

A quick compliance checklist for businesses operating in Northern Ireland. Covers NI-specific obligations including fair employment monitoring, HSENI registration, fire safety, business rates, and other requirements that differ from Great Britain.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Premises licence (alcohol)

Apply for a premises licence to sell or supply alcohol from your business in England and Wales. Covers the application process, fees, the four licensing objectives, mandatory conditions, and what happens after you receive your licence.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Product standards and CE marking for the Northern Ireland market

How product standards and marking requirements differ for the Northern Ireland market under the Windsor Framework. Covers CE marking requirements, why UKCA marking is not valid in NI, the EU General Product Safety Regulation applying in NI from December 2024, and dual compliance obligations for businesses selling across the whole UK.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Register a food business in Wales

How to register a food business with one of the 22 Welsh local authorities. Covers the Welsh-specific registration process, bilingual forms, what happens after registration, and key differences from the England registration system.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Register and run a food business

How to register your food business with your local authority, meet food hygiene requirements, and achieve a good food hygiene rating. Essential compliance for all food businesses including home-based and mobile.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Register as an alcohol wholesaler (AWRS)

If you sell alcohol to other businesses, you must register under the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) with HMRC. Learn who needs to register, how to apply, and due diligence obligations.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Retail sector market overview

UK retail market statistics, ecommerce growth trends, and investment opportunities for retailers operating in Great Britain.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Run a compliant motor trade business

Whether you sell vehicles, run a garage, supply parts or dismantle cars, the same core duties apply: protect the personal data you hold, do not discriminate, insure your employees, manage health and safety, keep your premises fire-safe, trade fairly, and deal with your waste responsibly. Put these in place before you take on staff, customers or stock.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Run a compliant retail business

Every retail business — from a market stall to an online store — shares the same compliance spine: consumer rights, accurate pricing, fair trading, data protection, equality, employers' liability insurance, fire and workplace safety, business rates and the waste duty of care. Put these in place first, then add the rules for what you sell.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Run a compliant wholesale business

Whatever you wholesale, the same core duties apply: protect the personal data you hold, do not discriminate, insure your employees, manage health and safety in the warehouse, keep your premises fire-safe, and deal with your waste responsibly. Put these in place before you add the rules for the goods you trade.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Run a petrol station or forecourt

Storing and dispensing petrol is one of the most tightly regulated retail activities. You need a petroleum storage certificate before you store petrol, strict forecourt safety procedures under health and safety law, and — only for very large storage sites — COMAH major-hazard duties. Most forecourts also sell age-restricted products, so the shop side carries its own rules.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Run a retail pharmacy or optical business

Pharmacies and opticians are retail businesses regulated as healthcare providers. Pharmacy premises in Great Britain must be registered with the GPhC with a responsible pharmacist in charge whenever they are open. Optical businesses trading as opticians have General Optical Council duties. Ordinary retailers may sell only general-sale medicines in limited pack sizes.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Run a vehicle repair garage or MOT station

Repairing and servicing vehicles is not licensed in itself, but MOT testing is: only DVSA-approved stations with authorised testers may carry it out. Garages also have specific duties around air-conditioning refrigerant (F-gas) and the hazardous waste they generate. MOT testing works differently in Northern Ireland, where it is run by the state.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Sell firearms, shotguns and air weapons

Dealing in firearms, shotguns or ammunition by way of trade requires registration as a firearms dealer with the police, a transaction register, secure premises, and certificate checks on every sale. Air weapons need a certificate check for Scottish buyers, and realistic imitation firearms carry their own restrictions.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Selling food online: labelling and safety requirements

Comply with distance selling rules when selling food online, including providing mandatory food information before purchase, allergen labelling at two points, and maintaining safe delivery temperatures.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Set up and run a compliant farm shop

How to register, comply with food safety, and handle VAT when selling produce directly from your farm. Covers food business registration, HACCP requirements, and VAT treatment of different products.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Sunday Trading Rules

Understand Sunday trading hours restrictions and exemptions in England and Wales.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Toy safety compliance in Great Britain

How to comply with the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 when placing toys on the Great Britain market. Covers essential safety requirements, age grading and warnings, chemical limits, conformity assessment routes, UKCA and CE marking, documentation obligations, and economic operator duties.

Retail & Consumer Goods

UK REACH Chemical Compliance

Understand and comply with UK REACH chemical registration requirements for manufacturers and importers.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Which farming rules apply to your business

Farming is regulated by what you produce and where you farm. Livestock keepers register land and animals before anything moves; arable and horticultural growers face seed, spraying and water rules; every farm in England now answers to the rules that replaced cross-compliance. Work out which farm type fits your business below, then follow the matching guidance.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Which health and care rules apply to your business

Health and care businesses are regulated twice over: the service registers with a care regulator (CQC in England, with separate regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — and Ofsted for children's social care), and the professionals who deliver it register with their own statutory regulator (GMC, NMC, GDC, GPhC, GOC or HCPC). Find your provider type below, then follow the route that matches.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Which motor trade rules apply to your business

"Motor trade" covers very different businesses — selling cars and motorcycles as a dealer, repairing and MOT-testing vehicles in a garage, selling parts and accessories, or dismantling and scrapping end-of-life vehicles. Each has its own regulators and rules, on top of the duties they all share. Work out which description fits you and follow the right guide.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Which retail rules apply to your business

"Retail" covers very different businesses — a clothes shop, a convenience store selling alcohol and tobacco, a petrol forecourt, a pharmacy, a firearms dealer, a market stall, an online store. Each has its own regulators and rules, on top of the consumer-law duties every retailer shares. Work out which description fits you and follow the right guidance.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Which wholesale rules apply to your business

Wholesalers sell goods on to other businesses rather than to consumers, and what you must do depends on what you trade. Controlled and excise goods (alcohol, tobacco, medicines) need a wholesale authorisation. General merchandise carries product-safety distributor duties. Food, animal and plant goods have their own registration and traceability rules. Waste, scrap and fuel are separately regulated. Work out which of these you handle and follow the right guide.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Wholesale compliance checklist

A confirmation checklist for wholesale businesses. Work through the cross-cutting duties every wholesaler shares, then the section for what you trade — controlled and excise goods, general merchandise, food and agricultural goods, or waste, scrap and fuel. You may need more than one section.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Wholesale distributor product-safety duties

As a distributor — rather than the manufacturer — your product-safety duties are lighter but real: act with due care so the goods you supply are safe, verify conformity marking and documentation, keep records to trace supply, and act on unsafe products. Specific product categories (chemicals, electrical goods, machinery, construction products, textiles, furniture, precious metals) add their own checks.

Retail & Consumer Goods

Wholesale licences for controlled and excise goods

Some goods cannot be wholesaled without a specific authorisation: alcohol needs AWRS approval, medicines need a Wholesale Dealer's Authorisation, veterinary medicines need a VMD authorisation, and controlled drugs need a Home Office licence. Tobacco and alcohol also carry excise duty and track-and-trace duties. Get the right authorisation before you trade — buying from or selling as an unapproved wholesaler is an offence.

Tax & Finance

Check if you need to register for VAT

Find out if your business must register for VAT based on your taxable turnover. Covers the £90,000 threshold, what counts as taxable turnover, the rolling 12-month test, and when voluntary registration makes sense.

Business Structure

Mandatory registrations every business must complete

Step-by-step guide to the registrations every business must complete before trading, regardless of sector. Covers HMRC tax registration, ICO data protection fee, mandatory insurance, and pension auto-enrolment.

Premises & Operations

Meet your business waste duty of care

Understand your legal responsibilities when producing, storing, or disposing of business waste. Covers using registered waste carriers, completing waste transfer notes, and the stricter rules for hazardous waste.

Compliance & Legal

Pre-trading compliance checklist

A concise yes/no checklist to verify you have completed all mandatory pre-trading requirements, including business registration, tax, insurance, licences, premises approvals, and data protection.