The individual market contact details are given below: The address for all markets is:

Transcription

1 The individual market contact details are given below: The address for all markets is: Tunstall Market s Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Indoor - Butterfield Place ST6 5TP Telephone/fax (City Centre) Hanley Market s Open Monday to Saturday Indoor - Potteries Shopping Centre ST1 1PS Outdoor - Market Square ST1 1LD Telephone/fax Outdoor (City Centre) Hinde Street Sunday Market and car boot sale ST1 4EP Mobile Stoke Market s Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Indoor and outdoor ST4 4AD Telephone/fax Longton Market Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Indoor ST3 1BZ Telephone/fax Bentilee Market, Neighbourhood Centre car park ST2 0EU, every Tuesday Mobile Fenton Market, City Road car park ST4 3AD, every Thursday Mobile Meir Market, every Friday starting 30 January Mobile Stoke-on-Trent markets can also be found on Facebook and at Please do not hesitate to contact any of the above markets or the Markets Management Office on telephone or markets@stoke.gov.uk should you require any further assistance. Please note all written correspondence should be addressed to: Markets Management Section Stoke Town Hall/Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

2 Business Start-up Guide Why do I want to do it? Are you going into business to make more money? Do you want to be involved in something that interests you? Do you want independence? Have you lost your job and need a new way to make a living? Whatever your reasons for starting up, be clear about your business and personal aims and set yourself goals. Thousands of new businesses fold because their owners did not set up, or even identify, either business or personal aims. Can I do it? As an employee you are dependent on your employer. But when you start a business, you are dependent on your own ability. Self-help It is important to know how to look after your finances and office administration, even if you are going to employ someone else to do it for you. You could check with your Small Business Adviser about where to find out about short courses in business management. These can teach you about basic marketing, bookkeeping, business and the law, taxation, office administration and other things you will need to know. If you are going to use a computer in your business, you would probably benefit from a course in computers too. Even a fairly cheap computer can help you produce your own letters, labels, invoices and documents. It can also help you manage your finances as well as keep stock and trading records and customer information. Help from the Government National and Local Government is deeply committed to small and new businesses, and subsidises a range of services to encourage them. There are several agencies who offer these services and give help to new firms starting up, and small businesses that are already running. The help that is available includes; Training courses in starting and running a small business; Business counselling and advice from experienced business people; Information services, for example on potential markets; Help in raising finance for the business; Use of facilities, for example meeting rooms, libraries, databases and so on. Help from the Contributions Agency Tax and National Insurance are important issues, which you need to sort out at an early stage. The Contributions Agency can give you valuable guidance, whether you are starting a business on your own or if you intend to take on employees. Professional help Whatever your business, there will be times when you will need professional help form accountants, solicitors or other specialists.

3 Most of these people know that new business cannot afford to pay large fees and so the first consultation is usually free of charge. This gives you a chance to find out how they can help you and what it will cost! Always agree the fee or how the fee will be calculated before any work is done. Learn from the experience of others Talking to people gives you information, but experience teaches. You will certainly find it very useful to talk to people who have already gone through starting a new business, whether they have been successful or not. Your Enterprise Agency or Chamber of commerce may run business clubs where you can meet other small business owners. Our advice is to talk to as many people and get as much information as you can, before making your own judgements. Who needs me? Who wants my services? Talk to your family, friends and possible business customers about your business idea. Check on market trends. Examples of possible trends are the rise in spending on sports goods, gardening and health foods, while books and knitting wool s could be on their way down. If your line of business is in a declining market, think whether you can still make it a success. If you appear to be trading in a successful commodity range, then this is obviously good. However remember, you will still need to persuade customers to buy from you rather than your competitors. Think about who is going to buy your product. If your product is very expensive, then your sales may be limited. Where you trade and advertise depends on the price of your product. Be careful of just competing on price. After all, it easy for competitors to cut prices too. Pricing my product or service To a large extent your prices will depend on your market and costs. To make the most profit, you need to know what the customers will pay, and what competitors charge. You will soon find out if you set the wrong prices. If you set prices too high, people will not want to buy your product. If you set prices too low, your product may look cheap and you will lose money. You will probably have to change your first prices as you discover true costs and the effect of price on your particular market. When setting your prices, remember that you need to make enough profit to pay all the costs of the business, including your own wages. 5 Steps to help you work out your prices 1 Work out your household and personal overheads for one year. 2 Work out the salary you would need to pay yourself. Make sure this is enough to cover your household and personal overheads. 3 Add all your business costs for the same year to your salary. 4 Divide the total by the estimated number of sales over the year. This will give you the cost per item. 5 Add on the profit you want to make for each unit. Promoting my product People need to know what you are selling, where you are, and why they should buy from you rather than anyone else, so you will need some form of advertising and promotion.

4 There is a lot of effective advertising which you can do yourself. Start with your sign. A good sign is a great investment. Distributing leaflets within a certain local area is also a very good way of advertising the product or service you are offering. Don t forget, local press and even local radio are also fairly cheap ways of advertising in many areas. Whatever your business, word of mouth is likely to be very important indeed. How do you encourage word of mouth? You can do it by: Satisfying your customers with work well done; Having a good relationship with your customers; Building up a good reputation and protecting it, by sorting out any problems quickly; and Getting your name mentioned in trade magazines, or by local press or radio. Signs at point of sale Tests carried out by a large American supermarket produced the following results: Stores using simple hand-written signs with As Advertised on them to promote products on shelves increased their sales. This is compared to products in stores with no signs. Using New Item signs increased sales of powdered bleach by 73%. These are just 2 examples of point of sale tests which show the power of signs. Planning your business You need to plan your business. Working out the cash you expect to get is part of the planning process. It will show you whether you need more finance. If you do, it will be easier for your bank or any other organisation to help you if you can give them a Business Plan which covers all of the information in a logical way. Writing the plan Putting your business plan in writing can help you, especially if you need to raise finance. Operating Budgets and Cashflow Forecasts Operating Budgets A lot of businesses do not make a profit or have enough cash at the right time because the management has not planned ahead. Too often, they do not know how much profit or loss has been made until months after the financial year. And often, cash is not properly provided for until there is a crisis. Budgeting provides a useful planning tool. By comparing your actual performance with the budget, you can spot difficulties early on and take action to put them right. You must also be clear about the difference between the various costs of running your business. Some will vary depending on how well your business is doing (variable costs). Some will not change (fixed costs or overheads). Variable costs You may see the terms cost of sales and direct costs as well as variable cost. They are all similar. Your variable costs are linked directly to producing your goods and services. They are the cost of your raw materials, as well as the wages of any employees.

5 Fixed costs You may see the terms indirect costs, overheads and expenses as well as fixed costs. They are all similar. You will have fixed costs, even if you do not make any sales. They include rent, heating, lighting, insurance and salaries, including your own. At this point, we must explain depreciation. Depreciation takes into account the reduction in value of an asset over its working life. It is an expense the business must pay regardless of how much business it does, and so you should include it in the Operating Budget as a fixed cost. Cashflow Forecasts Once you have worked out your Operating Budget, you are ready to move onto your Cashflow Forecast. Cash is the lifeblood of your business. Managing cash badly is one of the main reasons for business failure. The time you spend working out your cash needs and monitoring cashflow is time well spent. This is because you can: find out when you might not have enough cash before it happens; find out when you might make extra cash and use it efficiently; make sure you have enough cash for any necessary capital expense; and find out how to use your resources more efficiently and reduce costs. Unlike your Operating Budget, your Cashflow Forecast is not to do with profit and loss. It is just your best estimates of how the cash will go in and out of your business over a certain period. Your forecast should show all cash you will pay and receive, including your own salary, capital spending and loans. These are all part of your cashflow. However, depreciation is not included in the cashflow because it is only a book entry. It does not mean real cash coming in or out of the business. VAT will be shown in your Cashflow Forecast but not in your Operating Budget. This is because it is not a charge against profit and loss, but a cash settlement. Please note: if your business cannot claim back VAT because it is not registered, you must include the VAT element of your costs as an expense in your Operating Budget. As you will not get it back, it will affect your projected profit.

6 General Information for Street Trading/Catering vehicles Within Stoke-on-Trent Street Trading in the Towns of Tunstall, Burslem, Stoke, Longton and the City Centre (Hanley) of Stoke-on-Trent is controlled by the local authority under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act All streets within the above areas are considered to be Consent Streets. In simple terms no person may trade on these streets without the consent of the local authority. The authority decides how many trading positions are allowed and may refuse any application. Street trading pitches within the town centres of Stoke-on-Trent are generally tendered every three years. People may put forward an expression of interest at any time in the three-year period for consideration at the point of tendering. Outside the District Centres and City Centre privately owned companies/business may allow traders (usually catering vehicles) to park and trade on their premises. It should however be noted that the company/business would have to have the appropriate planning permission to allow such activity to take place. Simply attempting to trade on private land would of course be likely to result in trespass and possible prosecution. There is often a consideration that highway lay-byes make good trading locations i.e. flowers, catering. It is however an offence to park in such lay-byes without the consent of the highway agency (normally controlled by the local authorities transport division) Catering trailers can be found on the outdoor markets of Stoke-on-Trent; however these are licensed by the Markets section of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The market officers who run the individual outdoor markets will know if vacancies are available for catering vehicles. Please note that such vacancies are rare. Catering trailers/vehicles that are kept at premises within Stoke-on-Trent should be registered with Stoke-on-Trent City Councils Environmental Health Food Safety Team. This section will then arrange for an inspection to be carried out on the trailer/vehicle. All caterers must of course be registered for the sale of food with their local Councils Environmental Health Food Safety Team and have undertaken and passed a basic food hygiene course. As with market traders local authorities will also require that traders granted a street trading licence have public liability insurance. Over the page is a list of contact numbers relating to Street Trading/Market Trading activity in Stoke-on-Trent.

7 Outdoor trading contacts Contact Name and number Area Covered Days of opening Peter Thorley Market Officer Mobile Hanley Market Bentilee Market Fenton Market Hinde Street, Hanley Meir Market Hanley Outdoor Market Tuesday Thursday Sunday Friday Monday to Saturday City Centre Management Hanley City Centre Monday to Saturday City Council Environmental Health All areas of Stoke-on-Trent Monday to Friday 8.45am to 5pm (4.30pm Fridays) City Council Planning Section All areas of Stoke-on-Trent Monday to Friday 8.45am to 5pm (4.30pm Fridays) City Council Highway Network Management Selling on the highways of Stoke-on-Trent Monday to Friday 8.45 am to 5pm (4.30pm Fridays) Jet Business Advice / Advice on starting a business Monday to Friday

8 Catering vehicles on the highway or other public places If you wish to have a catering vehicle in Stoke-on-Trent, such as a burger bar, ice cream van and so on there are certain things you need to know: All catering vehicles Where a catering vehicle is kept or garaged at property in Stoke-on-Trent then the property must be registered with the City Council as a food business. This is regardless of whether you are trading in the city or in the area of another local authority. All mobile catering businesses trading in the city must comply with food hygiene, health and safety and trading standards law. If you are thinking of running a mobile catering business in the city you should first contact the Regulatory Services Division who will be able to give advice on complying with these laws. For further information look at our food safety advice pages for moveable and temporary food premises by following the link on the right. If you do want to keep this vehicle at your own property you may need to get planning permission, especially if you are also using your property for the preparation of food as part of the catering business. For further information please look at the planning pages by following the link on the right. Vehicles on the highway or other areas of public land General According to the relevant laws, we have adopted the Street Trading Consent Scheme, which "covers the selling or exposing for sale of any article in a designated street". This means that you need to obtain a Street Trading Consent from the City Council before you can trade in a consent street. Street trading means selling, exposing or offering for sale, any article in a street. Street also includes areas to which the public have access without payment such as car parks. Street trading should not be confused with Market trading. The main difference being that Market traders operate within a group for mutual benefit and become a shopping destination in their own right. Street traders are individual traders who trade in public thoroughfares often relying on passing trade. Street trading licences are also granted annually without any automatic right of renewal. Outside of the town and city centre areas we would usually not give permission for someone to trade on the highway. If we find someone trading on the highway without permission we will ask them to move on. If a trader persists in trading on the highway without permission, then we may have to take legal action. This is especially important on major roads through the city. Late night trading If you wish to sell hot food or drink between the hours of 23:00 and 05:00 then you will require a premise licence or temporary event notice under the Licensing Act A temporary event notice costs 21 and we require at least 12 working days notice to process the application. A premise licence is a permanent licence and once you have been granted one it lasts indefinitely, subject to an annual fee. Trading on private land If trading on private land you would still need to have your vehicle registered as a food business. You need consent of the land owner for you to operate on their land. The land must have the appropriate planning permission or lawful use to allow you to trade there. This may need to be checked with our Development Management Section. If the appropriate land use is not in place, then planning permission would be required. Trading from a catering vehicle on private land on a regular basis without the necessary planning permission may lead to planning enforcement action.

9 Contacts To register your food business or to seek advice on complying with food hygiene, health and safety and trading standards law please ring or The registration form can also be downloaded from the link on the right. Street Trading in the towns of Meir, Longton, Fenton, Stoke, Burslem and Tunstall is currently controlled by the Markets section who can be contacted on or via to Anyone wishing to become a market trader or wishing to act as a Street Trader in Stoke-on- Trent outside the City Centre should contact the Markets section of Stoke-on-Trent City council on Tel: or via to markets@stoke.gov.uk To trade inside the City Centre you would need to contact City Centre Management on or via to city.centre@stoke.gov.uk. Please contact the Licensing department on or hcp.licensing@stoke.gov.uk for more information premise licences and temporary event notices or to make an appointment to see an officer. For general information on highway regulations please contact the Highways Network Management Group using the contact details link on the right. For information on the need for planning permission please contact the Development Management Section at /6 or planning.apps@stoke.gov.uk Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1RN, UK. Telephone enquiries@stoke.gov.uk. Copyright, re-use, disclaimer and privacy statement Your calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes and information from these recordings may be shared between directorates.

10 Public Liability Insurance You must have public liability insurance before you trade on any Stoke-on-Trent market up to the value of 5,000,000 (five million pounds). Below are 2 telephone numbers of insurance companies that many market traders use. You do not have to use these companies you can choose your own. National Market Traders Federation (not catering) Market Insure

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12 So you want to be a Market Trader? So you want to trade at a Stoke-on-Trent Market? Stoke-on-Trent City Council operates both Indoor and Outdoor Markets Prospective traders generally opt for one or the other, but it is not unusual once established for traders to operate stalls both indoors and outdoor. Indoors or Outdoors Market Halls With the exception of Hanley market, which opens six days a week, Monday to Saturday, the other indoor markets of Tunstall, Stoke and Longton operate three days a week Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The main advantage of indoor market trading is that you and your stock are protected from the unpredictable British weather, allowing you to work in comfort throughout the day. You can also leave your stock on the stall at the end of the day. Some markets also have lockable storage areas for additional stock. All the markets have hand washing and toilet facilities and most have a rest room where you can make a drink or snack, if you have time! Outdoor Markets You will be required to provide your own stall and you will have to decide what size you need to suit your requirements. You will also need a top cover, side sheets, stall clips and if required boards to form a counter. If considering outdoor market trading you will obviously require a substantial and reliable vehicle to carry all your equipment. Unlike the indoor markets you will have to be prepared for the weather so plenty of appropriate clothing to protect yourself is advisable as are clear plastic sheets to protect your stock. You will also have to be prepared for a long day when trading outdoor with most traders arriving at the market at around 7am, in order to get set up before trade starts. At the end of the day the stall has to be dismantled and the vehicle loaded up ready for your journey home. What do I sell? Once you have decided to be a market trader the question now is what to sell? A very difficult question to answer. The more unusual goods, the better the chance of obtaining a stall or pitch, but you have to ask yourself will it sell? And if so why is no else selling it?

13 Many prospective traders choose to sell various lines of clothing which are always popular on markets, but because of the number of traders already selling these lines, stalls and pitches are difficult to obtain. When granting stall licenses or allocating spaces, various factors have to be considered so as not to upset the commodity balance of that particular market. How much is the stall charge? Indoor Markets Indoor market stalls are let by way of sealed offer which basically means that your make an offer to the City Council of what toll charge you are willing to pay. There is a minimum offer of toll that the City Council would accept on each market stall but this amount varies depending on which market the stall is in and the size of the stall. The Market Officer on site will advise you of the minimum offer acceptable when you decide which stall you are applying for. In addition to the toll charge there is a small amount payable per stall per week which is saved in a separate promotion fund and used for advertising and promoting the market. Electricity used on the stalls is charged for separately and is payable on a quarterly basis. Business rates are only payable on market stalls within Hanley indoor market. Outdoor Markets Charges will depend on the size of the space and the individual market. When can I start? When you are notified that your application has been successful you will be given a date to commence trading. This is usually about 4 weeks after the notification to give you time to negotiate with the outgoing licensee for any fixtures and fittings they may be selling that you may, prepare the stall if necessary and buy your stock if you have not already done so. Also, before you can commence trading you will need to arrange for public liability insurance cover up to the value of five million pounds, possession of which is one of the conditions of the license agreement. This can be arranged through an insurance company or by joining the National Market Traders Federation. You will also need to ensure you have adequate insurance cover for your stall, stock, fixtures and fittings. Again details of the more popular market insurance providers can be obtained from the Markets Officer or the Market Management office. Is there anything else I need to know? Legislation Market Traders must be aware of statutory legislation which is applicable to them. When you start a new business you must register with the Inland Revenue within three months of starting self employment.

14 You must adhere to customer legislation such as the Trade Descriptions Act and Sale of Goods Act. If you are thinking of selling food, particularly perishable food, you should be aware and comply with, food hygiene legislation such as the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations Book Keeping It is essential with any business to keep accurate and precise records of all transactions as at the end of the trading year you may need to pass these to an accountant for auditing. From your records, an accountant will produce a profit and loss account and balance sheet to be used for calculating your income tax liability. Should you choose to complete your tax return yourself it is suggested that you contact your local tax office for further advice. How do I get a stall? Indoor Markets As vacancies occur, posters specifying stall vacancies are displayed on the notice boards of each market. Once you are aware of any vacancies the next thing to do is visit the market(s) of your choice and speak to the Market Officer on site who will be able to answer any questions you may have, show you the stalls that have been advertised and give you an application form and return envelope. Outdoor Market Like the indoor markets speak to the Market Officer on the site who will give you all the information you require an application form and return envelope. Good luck with your venture and please don t forget that the market staff are always available to help so don t be afraid to ask.

15 Items that you will be required to give to the City Council if you are successful in obtaining a market stall 1. Two passport sized photographs of yourself with your signature on the back 2. Proof of address such as a driving licence or recent utility bill 3. Your national insurance number 4. A deposit equal to four weeks full charges Items that you will be required to have if you are successful in obtaining a market stall 1. Public liability insurance cover up to the value of five million pounds. This can be arranged through an insurance company or by joining the National Market Traders Federation. 2. You will also need to ensure you have adequate insurance cover for your stall, stock, fixtures and fittings. Subjects you should be aware of if you are successful in obtaining a market stall 1. The fixtures and fittings on the stalls normally belong to the previous market trader. If you require the fixtures and fittings you should negotiate a price with the previous trader. However if you do not wish to purchase the fixtures and fittings the previous trade must remove them. 2. When you start a new business you must register with the Inland Revenue within three months of starting self employment. 3. You must adhere to customer legislation such as the Trade Descriptions Act and Sale of Goods Act. 4. If you are thinking of selling food, particularly perishable food, you should be aware and comply with, food hygiene legislation such as the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995.