High praise for Calderdale markets in fight against counterfeit and fake goods

It’s the tenth anniversary of the Real Deal ‘Fake-Free Market’ campaign and Calderdale Council’s markets service has been praised for keeping Calderdale shoppers safe from counterfeits.

The Council is one of more than 500 organisations across the UK to have signed up voluntarily to a nationwide consumer-friendly ‘Fake-Free Markets’ charter.

The charter and ‘Real Deal’ campaign protects shoppers, genuine traders and local businesses from the impact of counterfeit crime.

Calderdale Council’s Markets Manager, John Walker, said: “Calderdale was the first local authority in Yorkshire to support the ‘Fake-Free Markets’ charter and we’ve continued our commitment to keeping fakes out of our markets.

“We want visitors to our markets to be able to shop with confidence and we work with our partners to ensure that products from our markets are the genuine article.

"We take the threat of fakes very seriously and encourage people to report any items they think to be suspicious.”

The ‘Real Deal’ campaign is an initiative by the National Markets Group for IP Protection (NMG)

It reassures consumers that they can expect to buy only genuine brands and quality goods when they shop at local markets, car boot sales or selling groups bearing the ‘Real Deal’ logo.

The NMG is made up of a partnership of law enforcement, government and industry stakeholders, supported by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).

Patricia Lennon, National Coordinator of the ‘Real Deal’ Campaign for the NMG, said: “The Real Deal and ‘Fake-Free Markets’ Charter has proved to be a huge reassurance for shoppers. 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.

“In displaying the ‘Real Deal’ logo, a market gives reassurance to shoppers that it is a safe place to buy and sell. It also sends a strong ‘keep out’ message to any would-be traders in counterfeits who have no scruples when it comes to selling sub-standard products.”

Although a large number of outlets have signed up to the scheme, the NMG is using this 10th anniversary milestone to urge more markets to join the initiative.

Graham Mogg, Chair of NMG, said: “Counterfeit products are not only bad news for consumers, but also for legitimate, hard-working local business owners who risk losing sales.

“When counterfeits find their way into a market environment, the revenue goes to the black market rather than the economy. The trade in fakes is frequently found to be linked to organised crime – something that would horrify most shoppers or traders if they knew.”