Street Trading - Market Trading in Southwark

Information and advice about market trading in Southwark

Southwark has more than 1,000 market pitch spaces, of which around 70 per cent are occupied. Our traders sell a huge variety of goods, from specialist farm foods to second hand records. Your choice of goods and market area can prove the success or failure of your venture and should be carefully considered. Remember that different markets serve different community needs. A popular line in Choumert Road may not sell well in East Street.

How to register as a temporary trader

Before you can trade in any of the council's markets you
must register with us as a temporary trader. First, you need to download the Casual Trader Registration Form (294 kb) complete it and return it to

The markets office
SAST House
Dawes Street
London
SE17 1EL

To download the casual trader registration form you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your pc. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.

If you choose to pick up a registration form from the market office,
SAST House, you will also receive an information pack and a licence
conditions form. Download an information pack (71.5 kb).

You will need to bring the following items with the form to the market office, SAST House to register as a temporary trader

• Three passport sized photos of yourself, each signed by yourself on the reverse side
• Passport as proof of photographic identification or letter from Home Office confirming your eligibility to work in the UK
• Council tax bill or tenancy agreement as proof of address. If you do not have either of these, 
  the council will accept two utility bills. Mobile phone bills will not be accepted as proof of address
• Proof of national insurance number
• Proof that you have third party public liability insurance cover with a minimum value of £1,000,000. Details of the three insurance providers most used
  by market traders in Southwark
• If you prepare food you need to provide proof of basic food hygiene certificate
• If you wish to sell food which was not pre packed and pre prepared by your supplier, and your supplier is not a recognised organisation by national food hygiene authorities, you will need to register with Southwark Council's food team and provide proof of this registration. The councils food team can be contacted on 020 7525 2000 
• £10 registration fee
• Signed licence conditions. If you downloaded the registration
  form from the link on this page you will not have the licence
  conditions form with you when you come to register so must
  ask a member of the street trading staff for the licence
  conditions when you arrive at the market office, SAST House

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact

Street trading
Tel: 020 7525 6000
streettrading@southwark.gov.uk
The Markets Office
SAST House
Dawes Street
London
SE17 1EL

Please note that temporary traders have no trading rights to a particular pitch and are not guaranteed the right to pitch on any day.

How to register as a licensed trader

To become a licensed trader in the borough it's essential you first trade on a regular casual basis, so that your trading
practice can be monitored and assessed.

You also need to be sure that street trading suits you and that your stall is going to succeed in your chosen market. There is a high demand to become a licensed trader on East Street. New traders on East Street should expect to trade for a minimum of two years as a temporary trader before being considered to become a licensed trader.

In addition to these market areas, street trading have a few individual pitches and these are currently occupied by temporary traders and licence holders.

Pitch fees for casual traders

Download the pitch fees from April 2006 (149 kb). To view this document you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your page. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.

Market pitch conditions

The licence conditions state all the things that a trader needs to do to trade legally in on a Southwark Council market pitch.

The information below identifies a few key points that traders need to be aware of. This information doesn't over rule and isn't a substitute for the licence conditions.

• Pitch sizes are 9ft x 6ft, except at the New Caledonian Antiques Market where they are 9ft x 3ft 6''
  Electricity is provided for traders to use at no extra cost at some markets
• Storage units are situated close to some markets and are allocated on a first come first serve basis. There is an additional weekly/monthly charge for this
• Car parking facilities are situated close to most markets. The council currently rents out 40 secure parking spaces with CCTV monitoring charged at £5 per day
• Temporary traders pay a fee for their pitch by paying an invoice. The invoices can be collected from SAST House between 9am to 10am or 3pm to 4pm Monday to Friday. Invoices are not issued to traders on Saturday or Sunday. If you are a temporary trader and do not trade from East Street market, market officers will issue you with a new invoice when they visit your stall to endorse your paid invoice. Temporary traders who do not work on East Street must have a correctly paid invoice with them when they work their stall. Temporary traders who wish to trade on East Street must have a correctly paid invoice ready for inspection during allocation
• The '5 Pitch Clashing Rule' operates within this borough. This means a vacant pitch will not be allocated to a trader if that pitch is within five pitches of a licenced trader selling the same goods. This rule also applies to a temporary trader who has already been allocated a pitch by a street trading officer. This ensures a more balanced market