Glasgow City Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to introduce the Real Deal charter. On 26 May the council’s trading standards service signed the Real Deal charter with City Property Markets, which operates Blochairn Sunday market in Glasgow, the largest car boot sale in Scotland.
Category Archives: Real Deal News
Lewisham says ‘yes’ to Fake-Free markets
London Borough of Lewisham signed up to the Real Deal national charter on Tuesday 28 May reconfirming the council’s commitment to safe and fair trading in council-run markets.
Warwickshire’s Top Tips for Car Booters
Warwickshire’s Consumer Empowerment Team has issued a warning to shoppers to beware of fake and unsafe goods at car boot fairs.
Action to prevent sales of fakes
In December 2012, a number of successful, partnership, enforcement actions took place across the country to prevent the sale of counterfeit products to unsuspecting Christmas shoppers at markets. The following are some highlights.
Staffordshire Trading Standards Department, which has been operating the Real Deal charter since 2010, worked closely with Staffordshire Police, BPI and FACT in the seizure of counterfeit goods from an industrial unit in Birmingham. The operation was in connection with the supply of illicit goods to markets and car boot sales in Staffordshire. In excess of 56,000 pairs of Beats by Dr Dre headphones were seized along with other branded items including clothing, cosmetics and luxury leather goods. The estimated value of the seizures came to about £15 million.
(12 December 2012)
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Warwickshire Police and Trading Standards seized fake goods, including counterfeit designer clothes and shoes, to the value of £140,000, which were on their way to be sold at Wellesbourne Airfield market. Eight vehicles were also seized.
County councillor Richard Hobbs, responsible for policy on community protection, said: “Criminals who manufacture and sell counterfeit goods threaten our high streets and the livelihoods of genuine traders. I am delighted that Warwickshire Trading Standards and Warwickshire Police are working in partnership to successfully crack down on people selling fake goods across the county, protecting consumers and legitimate businesses.”
Warwickshire County Council currently has ten markets and car boot fairs successfully operating under the Real Deal charter in the county.
(4 December 2012)
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In Glasgow, police arrested six people and seized counterfeit goods to the value of £250,000 in the Barras market including clothes, DVDs, tobacco, perfume and jewellery.
(22 December 2012)
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Hounslow Trading Standards, Police, FACT, BPI and representatives of individual brand owners, made seizures at Western International Market of counterfeit goods, including clothing and jewellery, as well as around 5,000 CDs and 4,000 DVDs. The brands were out in force at the market, with a covert surveillance team identifying the target stalls before entering the market. Five vanloads of counterfeit goods were recovered.
(16 December 2012)
St Albans Market is the real deal
On the left is Cllr Beric Read, Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement and Localism at St Albans City and District Council, on the right is Guy Pratt, Head of Hertfordshire Trading Standards
Hertfordshire Trading Standards has helped St Albans Market become the third market in the county to sign up to a national pledge to help fight counterfeiting and promote fair trade.
Birmingham Christmas Shoppers Get the Real Deal
Cllr Barbara Dring and Mick Taylor.
In the run up to Christmas, Birmingham Trading Standards is teaming up with the council’s markets division, West Midlands Police and the Real Deal Campaign for Fake-Free Markets to ensure that illicit traders don’t sell fake goods to shoppers.
200th Real Deal Market Celebrated At Ashton-under-Lyne
Pictured signing the Real Deal charter at Ashton-under-Lyne outdoor market are (left to right) Sharon Smith, Head of Environmental Services Tameside Council, Nicola Martin, Market Business Development Manager and Councillor Catherine Piddington.
On 8th October, Tameside Council signed the Real Deal charter for its five markets at Ashton-under-Lyne, Hyde and Stalybridge. It was a double celebration as Ashton Market has also become the 200th market to join the Real Deal scheme. Continue reading
NABMA Conference hears Ashton and Thoresby case studies
At the NABMA Annual Conference on 18 September 2012, a presentation focused on how the Real Deal charter is applicable to all types of markets. Continue reading
Reading Borough Council and Town & Country Markets Join Forces to Deliver the Real Deal
Pictured left to right at the charter signing on 17 August 2012 are:
Paul Evans (Trading Standards), Gerry Shears (Market Manager), Dave Gibbs (Regional Manager, Town & Country Markets), Cllr Paul Gittings, Pollen Exeter (Consumer Protection Manager) & Matthew Golledge (Trading Standards Manager).
Shoppers in Reading will get the ‘real deal’ when they purchase items at the Reading Market as it has signed up to the Real Deal national markets charter.
Market traders prove they are the ‘real deal’
At the Northern Ireland launch of the Real Deal, at St George’s Market, Belfast. Left to right : Pat Dyer, Chairman of the Belfast branch of the National Traders Federation; May Campbell, High Sheriff of Belfast; Eddy Leviten, Head of Communications FACT; ACC Harris, PSNI; Patricia Lennon, Real Deal Campaign Director.
Traders at St George’s Market have become the first in Northern Ireland to sign up to the national ‘Real Deal’ charter. The charter is awarded to well-run markets, which have procedures in place to prevent the sale of counterfeit and other illict goods in order to ensure that shoppers get real bargains and that the livlihoods of genuine market traders are protected. Continue reading