Market organisers and the Highland Council’s Trading Standards team have been praised for ensuring Highland shoppers are getting the “real deal” by joining the nationwide Fake Free Markets charter.
The initiative is designed to protect local shoppers and businesses to ensure products are legitimate, stamping out the market for rogue traders to operate in with counterfeit goods.
The Black Isle Famers Society, who organise the famed Black Isle Show, and the MFR Car Boot Sale have both been praised alongside the Highland Council’s Trading Standards team.
David MacKenzie, Trading Standards Manager said: “In the past few years we have seen an increase in the sale of fake goods throughout the Highlands; so we need to work with business to ensure consumers can continue to have a high level of confidence when buying from our markets and car boot sales.
“Therefore, we are delighted that local market organisers join schemes like the Real Deal Charter and follow their code of practice.”
The charter, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this week, is to reassure consumers that only genuine brands and quality goods will be on sale at local markets and car boot sales through the displaying of the Real Deal logo.
Patricia Lennon, the coordinator of the campaign, said the charter sends out a “strong keep out message” to any would-be rogue traders.
She said: “We cannot praise highly enough the commitment we have seen from markets and Trading Standards services who have jointly signed up to the charter to protect their customers from buying untested, poor quality, potentially unsafe counterfeit products.”
