Consumers in Islington should soon find it easier to identify responsible retailers following the introduction of the council's Islington Trader Scheme (ITS) pilot on 27 February 2007 at the Vue Cinema in the N1 Centre, Angel.<br><br>The scheme highlights local shops that are committed to fair trading principles and excellent standards of customer care.<br><br>Cllr James Kempton, Leader, Islington Council, who attended the launch of the pilot said:<br><br>"We have a great mix of retailers in Islington, big and small, offering a huge variety of goods and services to a diverse and demanding customer base. <br><br>"We listened when local shoppers and retailers told us about the importance of raising the standards of customer care.<br><br>"The result is the ITS - developed to give Islington's shoppers increased confidence and our retailers deserved recognition for their fair trading principles." <br><br>Consumers will be able to identify a member shop by looking for the scheme's red bag logo. Before being allowed to join the ITS, retailers are vetted by Islington Council's Trading Standards to ensure they have sufficient knowledge of consumer rights law. <br><br>They must also satisfy officers that they are striving to comply with a range of trading standards laws covering areas such as safety of goods, descriptions and price marking.<br><br>Another benefit of the initiative is that member traders and their customers will have access to a free mediation service run by Trading Standards to help with any disputes about goods and services where these can't be resolved 'in-shop'.<br><br>Retailers that operate their own exchange or refund policies, for example in cases where a customer has changed their mind about a purchase, can continue to do so as long as the policy does not affect the consumer's statutory rights.<br><br>If the scheme is successful and well received at the N1 Centre, it will be rolled out at other shopping areas across the borough. <br><br>A list of ITS members and more information about the scheme can be found on the ITS web pages at www.islington.gov.uk/shopping or alternatively through leaflets available from any participating shop.<br><br>Ends<br><br><br><br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009