Left to right: Jason Poole, manager of Gloucestershire Trading Standards, Dave Joynes, managing director of Cotswold Markets, Becky Coles, Community Services Manager, Claire Bloomer, Mayor of Cirencester, and Cllr Gary Selwyn, lead member for community services, at the signing of the charter

Cirencester Market, which is jointly run by Cirencester Town Council and Cotswold Markets, is the latest to join the Real Deal programme to stop shoppers being duped into buying rip-off fakes of designer goods and other illicit items. On Friday 9 July, the market operators confirmed this commitment by signing the Real Deal Charter with Gloucestershire County Council’s trading standards department. 

Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “It is important to ensure legitimate traders are protected and those who feel they can make easy money are deterred at the earliest stage.

“This is a great initiative that will see us working together to protect consumers and local businesses from the harm caused by the trade in counterfeit goods.”

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In these two short videos, experts representing different stakeholder groups explain the benefits that the Real Deal Charter brings to shoppers, legitimate traders and the wider community.

NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME MARKET

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At the signing of the Real Deal Charter in Newcastle-under-Lyme Market in June 2021, Graham Mogg, Chair of the National Markets Group for IP Protection and ACG Intelligence Co-ordinator explains that Real Deal markets benefit shoppers, legitimate traders and the wider economy: “The money goes into the traders’ pockets and the government purse and is not funding criminality, which is what happens with counterfeit goods.”

Commenting on the impact of the Covid pandemic restrictions on retail trade, Cllr. Stephen Sweeney, Newcastle-under-Lyme Cabinet member for finance, town centres and growth, explains that the council is putting a great deal of emphasis on the town centre: “If we can say to customers that the goods we sell on the market are what they say they are, no frauds, no fakes, it will encourage people to come.”

Staffordshire County Council’s communities leader, Cllr Victoria Wilson, comments that the Real Deal in Staffordshire has been “fantastic”, adding, “It’s great for local businesses who can sell their goods to consumers who know they are buying genuine articles and won’t be contributing to the black market.”

Watch the video here – https://youtu.be/6olPzZ9xLZA

NEWTON ABBOT MARKET

Mike Walsh, Manager of Newton Abbot Market explains why he “jumped at the chance” to sign the Real Deal Charter in 2019, saying, “it brings the opportunity for customers to come into the market and shop with the confidence that they’re buying genuine goods, good quality at a good price.” Trader Diane Smith of Newton Phone Cases and Repairs agrees: “Customers are reassured and are happy and then you build up a customer base . . . through the years.”

Watch the video here – https://youtu.be/Fdqst1b0KW8