Young entrepreneurs invited to kickstart their business thanks to a free opportunity in the city

Young business brains can share their promising products with hundreds of shoppers thanks to a free opportunity organised by City of Wolverhampton Council.

As part of the national Young Traders Market programme, entrepreneurs aged between 16 and 30 can take advantage of special events being run throughout July.

Anyone taking part can have a stall for free at our popular markets as well as taking the chance to enter a national young traders competition, run by the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF).

The young trader events will be held on Saturdays 17 July at Bilston Indoor and Outdoor Market, 24 July at City Centre Market and 31 July at Wednesfield Market.

They offer a great opportunity to help kickstart or grow a business, and young traders will benefit from meeting existing customers on the most popular days for the three markets.

To provide ongoing support, the council is also offering a new package for young traders. The package includes teaming up with a mentor who has market trading experience, access to business support, four weeks free rent, discounted rent periods and enrolment onto the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme.

Young traders who take part in the events, either on one, two or all three dates, will also have the opportunity to be entered into the national competition run by the NMTF.

The competition recognises and celebrates young traders from across the UK, and Wolverhampton will be hosting the regional final of the competition on August 7, ahead of a national final in Stratford-upon-Avon on August 27 and 28.

Councillor Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for city environment and climate change, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people who are thinking of starting their own business to take advantage of a free platform with existing customers.

“Markets are a really good base to start businesses. Set up costs are low and stall holders can concentrate on building up great face-to-face relationships with customers.

“The past year has seen quite a change in our lives and people may be thinking of new opportunities or different ways of working. If anyone has been busy working on business ideas or creating some fantastic products, this is an excellent way to show them off.”

Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “One of our priorities as we work to relight our city is to create more opportunities for our young people.

“By offering the free young trader stalls at our markets, we hope to encourage a new generation of business owners to see their ideas take flight. We’ll also be backing this up with our new package of support for young traders.

“Many well-known businesses have started on markets and I’m excited to see if we could find the next Boohoo, Marks & Spencers or Lord Alan Sugar at our young traders event. If you have a business you’d like to start or one you’d like to grow, we’d love to hear from you.”

For information on how to get a stall for the July events, please contact markets@wolverhampton.gov.uk