Criminals exploiting weak trading enforcement, Bira warns

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has warned that a collapse in trading standards enforcement is allowing criminal operators to undermine legitimate businesses.

The warning follows a new investigation by consumer group Which?, which found that 36 trading standards services reported no criminal prosecutions in the 2023–24 financial year. Some teams had fewer than one member of staff per 100,000 people, with proactive inspections and enforcement of counterfeit goods, scams and other crimes deprioritised.

Bira, which represents more than 6,000 independent businesses across the UK, said the findings show law-abiding retailers are being disadvantaged by criminals who face “virtually no consequences” for illegal activity.

The Which? report cited examples including rogue builders intimidating pensioners and dangerous counterfeit goods sold online, while compliant businesses struggle to compete against illegal traders.

According to Bira, independent retailers face unfair competition from illegal operators that sell counterfeit goods, avoid business rates, ignore health and safety rules, and undercut legitimate traders who pay their taxes and comply with regulations.

The association is calling for urgent government action to properly fund trading standards teams and equip them to investigate and prosecute rogue traders effectively.

Bira chief executive Andrew Goodacre said: “This Which? report is in line with our fears that we are losing control of the high streets and undermining legitimate independent retailers. We absolutely need well-resourced trading standards teams to deal with the multitude of issues caused by criminals exploiting the lack of intervention in their criminal activities.

“From selling illegal products, re-selling stolen items to selling fake items, it seems that criminal activity is growing whilst responsible, legal retailers suffer with a lack of support. The new small business strategy does not fully address these concerns.”

Bira said responsible retailers invest in ethical sourcing, staff training, compliance and community relationships – all of which are undermined when criminal operators are allowed to act with impunity.