Bescot Market organisers pledge to fight sale of counterfeit goods

The family-run Walsall market has been running in the town for three decades, now boasting around 150 traders.

Brothers Scott and Spencer Evans have run the market since 2017 after taking the reins from their dad, Steven.

And over the past year, the pair have developed a "close relationship" with the trading standards officers at Walsall Council in an effort to eradicate the sale of counterfeit products for good.

Scott, who hails from Halesowen, said: "Finally we have the resources and we have the help. We tried many years ago together [with trading standards] and it was getting there but it has got to be consistent.

"We are getting new traders all the time, and now, with the checks and everything we are doing, I think we have finally stamped counterfeit out of our market. We can see a massive improvement.

"Now we have got a close relationship with Walsall trading standards, we have had meetings and put together a plan finally. It is still all in the process but we are quite happy with how quickly we have managed to near-enough eradicate the problem."

Scott added that by tackling the sale of counterfeit goods, he hopes to "keep life" in the market.

The 35-year-old continued: "It is very hard out there for all retailers but the market is still a nice place to be.

"We just want to keep the life in it, we want everyone to come out on a Sunday and be social and have a friendship with who they are buying the goods from, rather than buying online.

"There are still a lot of small businesses that don't have the finances to open a shop so we would love traders to get in touch if they wanted to give it a go. It is a good stepping stone if people are thinking of doing retail."

The market is open to shoppers every Sunday from 9am to 3pm.

Budding retailers looking to set up a stall on Bescot Market should contact info@bescotpromotions.co.uk.