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Your council's Trading Standards service enforces most consumer law in shops, including pricing, weights and measures, product safety and age-restricted sales. The Information Commission (formerly the ICO) regulates how you handle personal data. Your local fire and rescue authority enforces fire safety.

Key regulators and compliance areas

Who regulates which part of running a shop.

As a retailer, you must comply with consumer protection law and several sector-specific rules. These are the main regulators:

Trading Standards: Pricing, product safety, consumer rights, age-restricted sales
Competition & Markets Authority: Consumer protection law, unfair commercial practices
Alcohol licensing (England and Wales): Council licensing authority: premises and personal licences
Alcohol licensing (Scotland): Local Licensing Board
Alcohol licensing (Northern Ireland): Apply to a county court for a liquor licence
Information Commission: Customer data protection, marketing consent
Advertising Standards Authority: Advertising claims, price comparisons, promotions

Your key obligations include accurate pricing, clear returns policies, careful handling of age-restricted sales, and meeting consumer rights on refunds and faulty goods.

Know who enforces retail law