Retail & Consumer Goods

Step-by-step routes through what retail & consumer goods businesses must do.

Ranked by how thoroughly each journey maps this sector's guidance.

The bodies that set rules and enforce compliance for retail & consumer goods.

Ranked by how much of the legislation this sector's guides cite each one enforces.

The Acts and statutory instruments that set duties for this sector.

Ranked by how many of this sector's guides cite each — the legislation most central to the sector appears first.

• Act
  DMCCA 2024 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 10 of this sector's guides
• SI
  General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 8 of this sector's guides
• Act
  Licensing Act 2003 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 7 of this sector's guides
• Act
  Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 3 of this sector's guides
• SI
  Price Marking Order 2004 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 3 of this sector's guides
• Act
  Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 3 of this sector's guides
• SI
  Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 2 of this sector's guides
• SI
  Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (opens in a new tab) Cited by 2 of this sector's guides

All guidance for retail & consumer goods

75 guides for this sector.

Grouped by topic area, with the topic holding the most guidance first; within each, the most comprehensive guides lead.

All journeys

• Run a retail business Ongoing compliance and operational guidance for established retail businesses
• Grow your retail business Scale your retail business - expand online, open new locations, build your team, and manage increased compliance as …
• Meet environmental compliance requirements Navigate your environmental obligations including waste duty of care, pollution prevention, packaging responsibilities, and energy reporting
• Start a retail business - compliance essentials A comprehensive compliance onboarding journey for new retailers. Covers consumer rights, pricing law, age-restricted sales, product safety, data …
• Meet food safety requirements for your business Register, implement HACCP, and comply with food safety law including allergen requirements
• Start a retail business Launch a retail business with the right consumer protection compliance
• Prepare your BNPL business for FCA regulation Preparation guide for Buy Now Pay Later providers and merchants ahead of FCA regulation from 15 July 2026. …
• Start selling online - retail compliance A learning path for retailers adding an online sales channel. Covers the additional compliance obligations for distance selling, …
• Set up a motor trade business
• Start a food business for the first time Everything you need to do before opening a food business. Covers registration, premises, HACCP, training, allergens, labelling, and …
• Start offering consumer credit to customers End-to-end learning path for businesses new to consumer credit. Covers understanding FCA regulation, obtaining authorisation, setting up pre-contract …
• Building regulations compliance for renovation Navigate building control approval, thermal upgrade requirements, and competent person schemes when renovating business premises
• Consumer rights compliance checklist Quick compliance check for traders selling goods, services, or digital content to consumers. Covers quality standards, remedies, distance …
• Start selling online legally Everything you need to know before launching an online shop. Covers distance selling regulations, pre-contract information, cancellation rights, …
• Start selling products on the UK market A comprehensive introduction to UK product safety compliance for businesses placing products on the GB market. Covers the …
• Understanding consumer rights law for traders Learn your legal obligations when selling goods, services, or digital content to consumers. Covers the Consumer Rights Act …
• VAT compliance for retailers Complete VAT guidance for retail businesses. Covers pricing rules, retail schemes for calculating VAT, invoicing requirements, and submitting …
• Improve your food hygiene rating Practical steps to improve a poor food hygiene rating. Understand what inspectors scored, fix the issues, and request …
• Set up a wholesale business
• Open a shop Start a retail business and open your first shop
• Food safety quick compliance check A quick compliance check for food business operators. Covers registration, HACCP, allergens, temperature control, training, and record keeping.
• Managing business waste and duty of care compliance Navigate your legal obligations for business waste - duty of care, waste carriers, transfer notes, recycling separation, and …
• Packaging producer compliance journey Understand the overlapping environmental obligations for businesses that handle packaging. Covers Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Plastic Packaging Tax …
• Product compliance checklist for GB market Quick checklist to verify your products meet GB market requirements for conformity marking, safety assessment, documentation, and traceability …
• Product compliance for manufacturers Learn how to ensure your products meet UK safety and marking requirements before placing them on the market
• Respond to a Trading Standards investigation What to do if Trading Standards has contacted you, visited your premises, or conducted a test purchase. Covers …
• Retail compliance quick check Quick compliance check for experienced retailers. Covers consumer rights, price marking, age-restricted sales, and annual compliance obligations.
• Handling customer refund disputes When a customer demands a refund, what are your legal obligations? This guide helps you determine whether the …
• Product safety quick compliance check Rapid product safety self-assessment: verify safety obligations, marking, documentation, traceability, and recall readiness for products on the UK …
• Respond to a food safety incident Immediate steps when unsafe food is discovered or a customer reports illness. Stop selling, withdraw the product, notify …
• Respond to a product safety incident Emergency guidance when you discover an unsafe product. Stop supply immediately, notify Trading Standards and OPSS, manage the …

Subsectors

SIC 2007 divisions covered by this sector.