Sector

Retail & Consumer Goods

Shops, e-commerce, consumer products, wholesale and distribution.

Retail & Consumer Goods 398,210 enterprises in the UK

Start here

See all 13
Changing nowFee modulation from 2026

Packaging producer compliance journey

If you put packaged goods on the UK market — EPR fees are being invoiced now
New to retail

Start a retail business - compliance essentials

Consumer law, pricing, age-restricted sales and product safety from day one
Check you're compliant

Retail compliance quick check

The established-operator self-audit
Also worth checkingFCA regulation from 15 July 2026

Prepare your BNPL business for FCA regulation

If you offer instalment credit at the point of sale
If it's gone wrong

Respond to a Trading Standards investigation

Contacted by Trading Standards? Start here

Who regulates you

See all 46

Local Authority (opens in a new tab)

Local councils enforce food safety (via Environmental Health Officers), issue alcohol licences, grant planning permission, and regulate certain business activities at local level. Responsibilities …

Enforces 27 Acts this sector relies on.

Trading Standards (opens in a new tab)

Enforces consumer protection legislation including food labelling, weights and measures, product safety, and fair trading. Part of local authority structure. Investigates food labelling breaches.

Enforces 24 Acts this sector relies on.

FSA (opens in a new tab)

Food safety and hygiene regulation across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Enforces food law, provides guidance to food businesses, investigates incidents. Approves food businesses …

Enforces 16 Acts this sector relies on.

Environment Agency (opens in a new tab)

Environmental protection in England. Regulates waste, emissions, water quality, flood risk, and environmental permits for industrial activities. Enforces environmental law and issues permits for …

Enforces 15 Acts this sector relies on.

HMRC (opens in a new tab)

Tax collection, customs duties, national insurance, tax credits, and enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. Regulates all UK businesses for tax compliance including Corporation …

Enforces 14 Acts this sector relies on.

HSE (opens in a new tab)

Workplace health, safety, and welfare regulation across all industries. Enforces the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and related regulations. Investigates serious incidents …

Enforces 14 Acts this sector relies on.

Key legislation

See all 143
DMCCA 2024 Cited by 19 of this sector’s guides · 835 provisions Act
Licensing Act 2003 Cited by 14 of this sector’s guides · 502 provisions Act
Food Safety Act 1990 Cited by 12 of this sector’s guides · 142 provisions Act
General Product Safety Regulations 2005 Cited by 11 of this sector’s guides · 58 provisions SI
Consumer Credit Act 1974 Cited by 6 of this sector’s guides · 399 provisions Act
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Cited by 5 of this sector’s guides · 1893 provisions Act
Human Medicines Regulations 2012 Cited by 5 of this sector’s guides · 1313 provisions SI
Food Information Regulations 2014 Cited by 5 of this sector’s guides · 95 provisions SI

General rules

Common requirements that apply across industries. Conditions such as employing people or operating premises are shown only after they are known.

General rule

File your confirmation statement

File a confirmation statement every 12 months, within 14 days after your review period ends. Filing late is a criminal offence for the company and its officers.

Applies across industries.

 General rule

Verify your identity for Companies House as a director or PSC

Yes, if you are an individual director or PSC of a UK company, or an individual director of an overseas company registered in the UK. Corporate directors and officers of corporate PSCs are not yet required to verify. The transition for existing directors and PSCs ends on 17 November 2026.

Applies across industries.

 General rule

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.

Applies across industries.

 General rule

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.

Applies across industries.

 General rule

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.

Applies across industries.

 General rule

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.

Applies across industries.

All guidance for retail & consumer goods

International Trade

1

Check whether you must register for the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) and how to account for it

From 1 January 2027 the UK CBAM taxes the emissions embodied in imported aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, iron and steel goods. Check whether your imports are in scope, run the registration tests, understand how the charge is worked out, and meet the return, payment and record-keeping duties.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Tax & Finance

8

VAT for retail businesses

A complete guide to VAT for retailers, covering registration, pricing requirements, retail schemes, invoicing, gift vouchers, returns, loyalty schemes, and the second-hand goods margin scheme.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Use a VAT retail scheme

How to calculate VAT using a retail scheme if you sell mainly to the public. Explains Point of Sale, Apportionment, and Direct Calculation schemes, including eligibility, choosing the right scheme, and record keeping requirements.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Selling on Vinted, eBay or Etsy: tax and trading status

Selling your own used things is usually tax-free, and a platform report to HMRC is not a tax bill. If you buy or make things to sell, you are likely to be trading and must register for Self Assessment when your total gross trading income from all trades and platforms exceeds £1,000 in a tax year.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

Handle early settlement and withdrawal requests

How to handle consumer requests for early settlement and exercise of the 14-day right of withdrawal from credit agreements. Covers settlement statement obligations, rebate calculations, compensation caps, partial settlements, and the separate withdrawal process under section 66A of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

Applies if you lend money or let customers pay over time under a credit agreement

Section 75 claims and connected lender liability

What Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 means for lenders, card issuers, and retailers. Explains how connected lender liability works, the GBP 100 to GBP 30,000 threshold, which agreements qualify, what does not apply, how claims work in practice, and the difference from voluntary chargeback.

Applies if you lend money or let customers pay over time under a credit agreement

Vaping Products Duty: get approved, pay the duty and use duty stamps

Vaping Products Duty is charged on all vaping liquid produced in or imported into the UK from 1 October 2026, nicotine or not, and every product must carry a duty stamp by 1 April 2027. This guide takes manufacturers, importers, warehousekeepers and UK representatives through HMRC approval, monthly returns and payment, and the duty stamps scheme, and tells wholesalers and retailers how to handle unstamped stock during the sell-through period.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.
Show 1 more

Hire purchase and conditional sale agreements

How hire purchase and conditional sale agreements work under UK consumer credit law. Covers title retention, the one-third rule for protected goods, voluntary termination rights, pre-contract requirements, early settlement, and the FCA motor finance review.

Applies if you lend money or let customers pay over time under a credit agreement

Premises & Operations

3

Run a pop-up shop or short-term space

A pop-up needs an agreement with the space owner and a check that your use fits the unit's planning class. Selling alcohol or handling food adds a licence or registration.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Deposit return scheme: return points for drinks retailers

Usually yes, if you run a supermarket, grocery store, convenience store or newsagent in England or Northern Ireland: unless an exemption applies, such as the one for small urban shops, you must apply to register before 1 October 2027 and run a return point from that date. Pubs, cafes and takeaways must charge the deposit on takeaway sales but do not take containers back. They may choose not to charge it on drinks consumed immediately on site.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Martyn's Law for pubs, shops and venues

Only if you can reasonably expect 200 or more people at once, staff included. The duties have not started and no start date is set.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Environment & Sustainability

7

Run a hand car wash or mobile valeting business

Usually yes, in parts. England has no car wash licence, but a fixed site may need planning permission if opening the car wash involves development or a material change of use, you need your water company's consent before wash water reaches a sewer, and pay and right to work checks for everyone who works for you.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Store oil on your premises in Scotland: SEPA general binding rules 26 to 28

What a Scottish business that stores oil, including a wholesaler or oil distribution depot, must do under SEPA's general binding rules 26 to 28. The Oil Storage Regulations 2006 that many older checklists cite were revoked in 2018. The rules now sit in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018. There is no application and no fee, but breaching the rules is a criminal offence.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Waste carriers and hazardous waste: SEPA and NIEA rules for Scotland and Northern Ireland

What waste collectors, remediation contractors, builders and motor trade businesses must do to register as waste carriers, move hazardous waste and sort business waste in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own registration regime under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018, its own special waste system and its own recycling duties. Northern Ireland has a separate register run by NIEA and its own hazardous waste rules.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Packaging waste producer responsibilities

Who must comply with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, how to register and report data, and what disposal fees and recycling obligations apply. Covers small and large producer thresholds, compliance schemes, PRNs and PERNs, and how EPR interacts with Plastic Packaging Tax.

Applies if your goods reach customers in packaging that you supply, brand or import

Get a water discharge permit

How to get an environmental permit for discharging liquid effluent or waste water to surface water or groundwater. Covers standard rules and bespoke permits, groundwater protection, monitoring requirements, and the difference between environmental permits and trade effluent consent.

Applies if you release liquid effluent or waste water into a river, the sea or the ground

Trade effluent consent for discharging to sewers

How to get consent from your water company to discharge trade effluent into public sewers. Covers what counts as trade effluent, when consent is needed, how to apply, prohibited substances, consent conditions, charges, and enforcement under the Water Industry Act 1991.

Applies if you put process liquids, washwater or other non-household effluent down the drain into the public sewer

Apply for a water abstraction licence

How to apply for a licence to abstract water from rivers, streams, boreholes, or other sources. Covers the 20 cubic metres per day threshold, licence types, pre-application enquiries, Environmental Impact Assessment, annual charges, and devolved nation requirements.

Applies if you take water from a river, borehole, spring or well rather than the mains

Growth & Strategy

1

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Sector-Specific

8

Price Marking for Retailers

Comply with price display requirements under the Price Marking Order 2004.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Product safety and labelling requirements

General Product Safety Regulations 2005, UKCA marking, weights and measures compliance, and labelling obligations for retailers selling in Great Britain.

Applies if you make, import or supply finished goods that end up in consumers' hands

Specialist retail licences and registrations

Specialist licences required for specific retail activities including tobacco registration, fireworks sales, pet shops, scrap metal dealing, and market trading. For general retail compliance, see the Start a retail business journey.

Applies to some businesses in this sector – open the guide to check

Consumer Rights and Returns

Understand consumer rights for returns, refunds, and replacements under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Ensure product safety compliance for retailers

Product safety compliance checklist for retailers. Covers supplier vetting, safety marking verification, recall procedures, OPSS reporting, and preparation for the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

Applies if you make, import or supply finished goods that end up in consumers' hands

Consumer rights compliance for traders

Your legal obligations under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 when selling goods, services, or digital content to consumers. Covers statutory quality standards, the 30-day refund right, tiered remedies, and what you cannot exclude by contract.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Distance Selling and E-Commerce

Comply with Consumer Contracts Regulations for online, phone, and mail order sales.

Applies if you sell or provide services at a distance - online, by phone or by mail order

Selling knives and bladed articles

A practical compliance guide for retailers selling knives, blades, and sharp-pointed articles. Covers age verification requirements, prohibited weapons, online sales rules, Scotland's exception for domestic cutlery, and how to build a due diligence defence.

Applies if you sell age-restricted goods to customers face to face
Show 52 more

Avoiding unfair terms in consumer contracts

Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 controls which terms in consumer contracts are enforceable. Many traders unwittingly use terms that a court or the CMA would find unfair - and those terms are void even if the consumer signed them.

Applies if you sell goods or provide services to individuals for their personal use

Handle consumer complaints about faulty goods

Step-by-step guidance for frontline and customer service staff handling faulty goods complaints under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Covers the 30-day right to reject, when to offer repair or replacement, and the final right to reject - with common staff mistakes to avoid.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Annual retail compliance checklist

Quick annual compliance verification for established retailers. Covers consumer rights, pricing, age verification, data protection, Sunday trading, fire safety, worker safety, and environmental obligations.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Avoid unfair trading practices in retail

Understand unfair trading rules under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (which replaced the CPRs 2008 from 6 April 2025). Covers misleading actions, omissions, aggressive practices, the 32 banned commercial practices, and new CMA enforcement powers.

Applies if you sell goods or provide services to individuals for their personal use

Equality and accessibility for retail businesses

Understand your obligations under the Equality Act 2010 as a retail service provider. Covers protected characteristics, reasonable adjustments for physical stores and websites, lawful service refusal, and enforcement.

Applies if you sell goods to ordinary consumers

Handle customer complaints and disputes

Set up an effective complaint handling process and understand your obligations around Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Since 6 April 2026 you must tell a complaining consumer what ADR is available, and ADR providers must be accredited.

Applies if you sell goods or provide services to individuals for their personal use

Subscription and auto-renewal compliance

Understand the new DMCC Act 2024 rules on subscription contracts. Covers pre-contract information, renewal reminders, easy cancellation requirements, and cooling-off periods on auto-renewal.

Applies if you sell subscriptions to consumers, especially ones that renew automatically

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

What to expect when trading standards visits your shop

A routine inspection needs written notice at least 2 working days ahead, but a test purchase or an officer watching you trade needs none. Obstructing an officer is an offence.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Vehicle Dealer Regulation

Understand FCA authorisation, consumer rights, and trading standards for motor dealers.

Applies to some businesses in this sector – open the guide to check

Selling online: the information you must give customers

Before a customer orders, you must show who you are, the total price, delivery charges and their right to cancel, then send a confirmation afterwards. Selling through a marketplace does not pass these duties to the platform.

Applies if you sell or provide services at a distance - online, by phone or by mail order

Selling vapes, nicotine pouches and tobacco: what changes from 29 October 2026

From 29 October 2026 you cannot sell vaping or nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, to anyone under 18, and you must not have a vape or nicotine vending machine available for use on your premises, apart from vape machines in inpatient areas of mental health hospitals in England and Wales. Medical devices and medicinal products are excluded. From 1 January 2027 you cannot sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Sell vehicles: rules for dealers

Selling cars, vans or motorcycles brings duties beyond ordinary consumer law: you must not mislead buyers about a vehicle's history, you must display fuel and CO2 information on new cars, and if you arrange finance or sell add-on insurance you must be authorised by the FCA. Dealers who import or first-register vehicles also have type-approval duties.

Applies to some businesses in this sector – open the guide to check

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Sell vehicle parts and accessories

Supplying vehicle parts and accessories — as a motor factor, wholesaler or retailer — brings product-safety duties for safety-critical components and producer-responsibility duties to take back waste batteries and electrical items. You must not place non-compliant or counterfeit safety parts on the market.

Applies if you sell or distribute replacement vehicle parts into the aftermarket

Run an MOT Testing Station

Maintain DVSA compliance, manage testers, handle inspections, and avoid disciplinary action as an MOT Authorised Examiner.

Applies to some businesses in this sector – open the guide to check

Set Up an MOT Testing Station

Become a DVSA Authorised Examiner to conduct MOT tests.

Applies to some businesses in this sector – open the guide to check

Sunday Trading Rules

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

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Retail sector market overview

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

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Plant passports for selling plants and seeds online

Usually yes, if you sell plants or listed seeds as a business online, by phone or by post, even to a home gardener. Selling in person to the public needs no passport.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

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.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

Prepare for CMA enforcement action

What to expect if the Competition and Markets Authority or Trading Standards investigates your business for consumer protection breaches. Covers the investigation process, new direct fining powers from April 2025, undertakings, enhanced consumer measures, and how to respond effectively.

Applies if you sell goods or provide services to individuals for their personal use

Consumer rights compliance for service providers

How to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 when providing services to consumers. Covers the reasonable care and skill standard, how your words become contractual terms, pricing, timescales, the repeat performance and price reduction remedies, and the contract terms you cannot lawfully exclude.

Applies if you sell goods or provide services to individuals for their personal use

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.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

Make and sell candles and wax melts: CLP labelling

Yes, once a sensitiser in the fragrance oil reaches its limit, you need a CLP hazard label or a short allergy statement. If no sensitiser reaches a limit, you must still check the finished product for other hazards before concluding that no CLP label is needed.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Make and sell jewellery: hallmarking rules

Usually yes: silver you sell as silver needs a UK hallmark unless the piece is light enough to be exempt. You must also display the Dealer's Notice and keep nickel, cadmium and lead within the legal limits.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Sell homemade soap and skincare

Yes. Soap and skincare are cosmetic products, with no exemption for home makers. Before your first sale you need a Responsible Person, a signed safety report and, in Great Britain, an SCPN notification. Northern Ireland uses the EU CPNP system instead.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Scottish feed, animal transport and animal by-products: register, authorise and dispose

What a Scottish feed merchant, livestock haulier, dealer, abattoir supplier or farm must do to register as a feed business with Food Standards Scotland, get a transporter authorisation for animal journeys, and collect and dispose of animal by-products and fallen stock. Scotland has its own regulations and its own enforcers for each.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Run a vehicle dismantler or salvage business

Dismantling, salvaging and scrapping vehicles is one of the most regulated parts of the motor trade. To depollute and scrap end-of-life vehicles you need an environmental permit and Authorised Treatment Facility status — only an ATF can issue the Certificate of Destruction — and to trade in scrap or salvage you need a scrap metal dealer licence.

Applies if you dismantle or salvage vehicles for parts or scrap, including treating end-of-life vehicles

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Selling energy drinks to under-16s

Yes, for now: no law in England sets a minimum age to buy energy drinks. The government plans to ban sales to under-16s from April 2027, but it has not made the rules yet.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Distance and off-premises selling requirements

Your legal obligations when selling to consumers online, by phone, by mail order, or at their home. Covers the 14-day cancellation right, pre-contract information requirements, refund obligations, and exemptions under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Applies if you sell or provide services at a distance - online, by phone or by mail order

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.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

Selling cakes and food you make at home

Usually yes, if you register your home with your council at least 28 days before you start trading and give customers the allergen information the law requires. You do not need a food hygiene certificate, but you must make sure anyone handling food is supervised and instructed and/or trained for their work.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Card surcharges, minimum spends and refusing cash

You cannot charge extra for payment by a consumer credit, debit or charge card, but you can refuse cash or set a minimum card spend. Tell customers about any limit before they buy.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Licences for dog boarding, day care and other pet care work

Usually yes in England if you board dogs or cats or run dog day care: you need an animal activity licence from your council. Grooming and dog walking are outside the licensing scheme unless the service amounts to dog day care, but local licences, permits and dog limits can apply.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Gift voucher expiry dates, refunds and VAT

Yes, if the term is fair, plain and shown before the customer buys. You need not give change from a part-used voucher unless your terms promise it.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

MHRA licensing for medicines and medical devices

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

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Food business registration

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

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Allergen control systems and Natasha's Law

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

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

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.

Relevant to a specific activity in this sector.

Product safety compliance checklist for the GB market

Compliance checklist for businesses placing consumer products on the Great Britain market. Covers the general safety requirement, UKCA marking and documentation, traceability, supply chain roles, record keeping, and recall preparedness under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, Consumer Protection Act 1987, and Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

Applies if you make, import or supply finished goods that end up in consumers' hands

Assess whether your product meets the general safety requirement

How to carry out a product safety risk assessment to determine whether your product meets the general safety requirement under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. Covers the OPSS PRISM methodology, designated standards, documenting your assessment, and building a due diligence defence.

Applies if you make, import or supply finished goods that end up in consumers' hands

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.

Relevant across several parts of this sector.

All journeys

Grow your retail business

Scale your retail business - expand online, open new locations, build your team, and manage increased compliance as …

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 …

Open a shop

Start a retail business and open your first shop

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.

Set up a motor trade business

A step-by-step path for setting up a motor trade business of any kind — selling cars and motorcycles …

Set up a wholesale business

A step-by-step path for setting up a wholesale business of any kind — supplying controlled or excise goods, …

Meet food safety requirements for your business

Register, implement HACCP, and comply with food safety law including allergen requirements

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 …

Improve your food hygiene rating

Practical steps to improve a poor food hygiene rating. Understand what inspectors scored, fix the issues, and request …

Food safety quick compliance check

A quick compliance check for food business operators. Covers registration, HACCP, allergens, temperature control, training, and record keeping.

Respond to a food safety incident

Immediate steps when unsafe food is discovered or a customer reports illness. Stop selling, withdraw the product, notify …

Product compliance for manufacturers

Learn how to ensure your products meet UK safety and marking requirements before placing them on the market

Subsectors

SIC 2007 divisions covered by this sector.

Motor Vehicle Trade

Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

SIC 45

Wholesale Trade

Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles

SIC 46

Retail Trade

Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles

SIC 47