Introduction to Age-restricted Sales

In the UK, certain products are legally restricted to individuals aged 18 or over to protect young people, reduce health risks and improve community safety. These age-restricted products include alcohol, vapes, tobacco, fireworks and knives. Legislation regulating these items is enforced by local Trading Standards services to prevent anti-social behaviour, reduce risks to the health of young people and improve the safety of the community.

Retailer responsibilities and preventative measures

Retailers have a legal duty to ensure that neither they nor their staff sell age-restricted products to anyone below the minimum legal age.

To comply with the law and prevent illegal sales, businesses should:

• Provide comprehensive, documented training on underage sales to staff to ensure they are competent and aware of their legal responsibilities.
• Conduct age verification checks – always ask young customers for proof of age. Valid ID includes a passport, driving licence or PASS-accredited card. If a customer cannot provide acceptable proof or if there is any doubt, staff should not proceed with the sale.
• Operate a Challenge 25 policy – if a customer appears to be under 25, staff should request valid identification before completing the sale.
• Display clear signage, such as prominent posters informing customers of legal age restrictions for specific products. This serves as a deterrent to underage customers and a reminder to staff.
• Use till prompts, such as Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) systems to provide automatic age restriction alerts for relevant products. This can help prevent accidental sales.
• Maintain a ‘refusals register’, which is a record of all refused sales, including date, time, product and reason for refusal. This demonstrates compliance and helps monitor trends in underage purchase attempts.

For more information or advice, contact your local Trading Standards department or visit the Business Companion website at www.businesscompanion.info.