{$inpagemarkup}

Search News

Results: 91-100 of 705


Retailers face up to £1m fines for underage knife sales under new sentencing guidelines

14 Mar 2023

Retailers caught selling knives to children in England and Wales could face a £1m fine when new sentencing guidelines come into effect on 1 April.
Read more…

80% of British public want card payment fees slashed as the cost-of-living crisis hits businesses

14 Mar 2023

New data shows that a majority of the UK public oppose the rising and unregulated costs British businesses face for simply accepting payments. With the cost of doing business at record levels,... Read more…

How independents can become more sustainable

13 Mar 2023

From saving energy and lighting costs, to using biodegradable packaging and prolonging a product’s lifespan, Drapers Magazine has been looking at how independent retailers can improve... Read more…

Over 160,000 SMEs without mandatory employers’ liability insurance risk fines and prosecution

3 Mar 2023

More than 160,000 small businesses in the UK with between one and nine employees will not have employer’s liability insurance by the end of the year, according to new research from Smart... Read more…

Bakers showing resilience despite cost pressures

3 Mar 2023

Britain’s bakers are showing great resilience despite continued cost and operational pressures, according to industry groups.
Read more…

New research shows local high streets & shopping centres more resilient than major shopping hubs in cost-of-living crisis

3 Mar 2023

New data from commercial property specialist Colliers shows that in the face of the UK’s cost of living crisis, minor retail destinations such as local high streets and shopping centres... Read more…

Value of contactless payments grew 50% last year.

27 Feb 2023

Barclays, which oversees nearly half of the UK’s card spending, has reported that the total value of contactless payments made using Barclays cards in the UK increased by 49.7% year on... Read more…

UK bike sales hit 20-year low but long-term outlook remains positive

22 Feb 2023

The Annual Market Data Report for 2022 from The Bicycle Association (BA) reports annual cycle sales in the UK fell to 1.88 million units in 2022, a 20-year low, 27% below pre-COVID levels in... Read more…

Nottingham revealed as UK’s best spot for homebuyers who want a thriving indie retail scene

13 Feb 2023

New research by estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.co.uk, has analysed the number of independent shops found across 15 major UK cities to find which presented the most independent retail... Read more…

New data reveals the most and least expensive retail rental areas in the UK

13 Feb 2023

New data from insolvency specialists Real Business Rescue, which analysed current commercial retail listings to find the most and least expensive areas in the UK for business owners to open... Read more…

Retailers face up to £1m fines for underage knife sales under new sentencing guidelines

Posted on in Business News

Retailers caught selling knives to children in England and Wales could face a £1m fine when new sentencing guidelines come into effect on 1 April.

knives

It will be the first time magistrates’ courts will have specific guidelines for sentencing this offence, which is prosecuted by Trading Standards and will apply to large organisations, as well as individual shop owners, who fail to ensure adequate safeguards are in place to prevent the sale of knives to under-18s either in-store or online.

Previously, the amount of any fine or penalty imposed following an underage sale had been left to the court’s discretion, leading to concerns that the fines were too low and did not reflect the seriousness of the offence.

Under the new guidelines, organisations will face a range of fines from £500 to £1m, with the amount linked to turnover to make penalties proportionate to the size of the organisation. Individuals face a range of non-custodial sentences, from a discharge to a high-level community order or fine.
It aims to set out a more structured and consistent approach to sentencing the offence.

While the focus of the guidelines is the underage sale of knives, the legislation covers a much broader range of bladed articles including axes and razor blades.

It is, therefore, important retailers understand the scope of the legislation in order to identify which items of stock are subject to age restrictions, according to Ashley Borthwick, a lawyer at international law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, quoted in The Grocer.

He said retailers would be well advised to consider checking the up-to-date guidance relating to age-restricted sales, particularly in respect of online sales, reviewing the adequacy of underage sales policies and procedures for both physical stores and online, and refreshing staff training.

Useful links

If you have any other queries please contact us.