Become a Trader

All traders wishing to attend outdoor markets operated by Carmarthenshire County Council must:

• Provide a suitable means to trade on the market. This will either be a gazebo or a suitable vehicle. See Occupying a Market Pitch – Outdoor Market.
• Have appropriate business insurance. See Business Insurance for Carmarthenshire Markets.
• Provide an appropriate risk assessment for trading on the market and have up-to-date certificates from registered contractors for any electrical or gas appliances to be used whilst attending the market. See Safe Working at Carmarthenshire Markets.
• Where they are a food business, have registered with the Food Standards Agency and be able to provide evidence of a Food Safety rating of 3 or above. See Food Safety at Carmarthenshire Markets.
• Traders who would like to sell alcohol are subject to restrictions. See Selling Alcohol at Carmarthenshire Markets.

The current cost to rent a pitch at one of the outdoor markets delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council is £10 per 3 metre square. The costs will increase according to the number of stalls and to rents being reviewed from time to time. 

The costs for working from a catering wagon will be assessed by the Council and depend on the size of the vehicle. All market charges are payable on the day of the event or in some cases in advance depending on the nature of the event. Applicants will be notified if charges are payable in advance.

All requests to attend the outdoor market will be considered by the Council in accordance with its allocation policy in order to encourage diversity and fair competition whilst also seeking to avoid over supply when the availability of stalls is limited by the area available. See Allocation of Outdoor Markets Stalls (including events).

Register to attend an Outdoor Market 

The Council operates indoor markets in Llanelli and Carmarthen and each market has shops and stalls of different sizes.   

The indoor markets offer an opportunity to new and existing independent traders to sell a range of goods, produce  and services.

All vacant stalls/shops in either Carmarthen or Llanelli Indoor Markets can be viewed on our Council Property section and by selecting the ‘To Let’ option.

Market stalls and shops are allocated by a tender process. The process requires prospective traders to submit bids quoting the level of rent they wish to offer. Subject to the bid being accepted the bidder is then granted a Tenancy Agreement and required to pay rent on a quarterly basis. 

Traders interested in bidding for a vacant stall or shop should request a tender form  from the market office. The form will summarise the key information about the premises and include an invitation to tender or quoted the quarterly rental the bidder is prepared to pay. The market office can also assist if there are any further queries regarding the premises or terms of occupation.

Tenders must be returned in endorsed envelopes (provided) by a specified time and date.

The premises would normally be allocated to the highest bidder however there may be circumstances when this is not possible or appropriate. The Council is not bound to accept the highest tender (or indeed any tender). Other considerations relevant to the allocation are;

• the need for choice to attract a variety of customers 
• the need for diversity to make the market interesting
• to avoid unnecessary duplication and over representation
• whilst still encouraging fair competition between traders to maintain quality    

To end a Tenancy Agreement the tenant must give three months notice in writing of the intention to vacate. 

Note: In Carmarthen Market there is also a casual market pitch under which specific terms apply. See Trading in Carmarthen Indoor Market Pop-up Stall

Other matters to consider for Indoor Trading   

Business Insurance - Tenants must have appropriate business insurance. See Business Insurance for Carmarthenshire Markets.

Public Liability Insurance – Each Business must have Public Liability Insurance in accordance with the requirements of Carmarthenshire County Council’s insurance requirements.

Risk Assessment – Tenants must provide an appropriate risk assessment for trading on the market. Each tenant must also have their own safe working practice within the Risk Assessment. See Safe Working in Carmarthenshire Markets.

Certificates – Tenants must hold current valid certificates for any electrical or gas appliances to be used whilst attending the market. See Safe working in Carmarthenshire Markets.

Food Cleanliness – Food producers and sellers  must be registered with the Food Standards Agency and provide evidence of a Food Safety rating of 3 or above which must be displayed. See Food Safety at Carmarthenshire Markets.

Alcohol - Traders selling alcohol are subject to restrictions. See Selling alcohol at Carmarthenshire Markets.

All traders will be expected to provide either a gazebo or a suitable catering vehicle for trading on the outdoor market.

All traders will be expected to provide any other equipment necessary to trade from either a gazebo or a suitable catering vehicle. 

It is advisable that all gazebo’s are weighted down for all market events. It is a requirement for all gazebos to be weighted down during moderate/high winds in accordance with manufacturers' instructions.

All gazebo’s should be of a robust construction to withstand adverse weather conditions. See Adverse Weather Policy.

All gazebo’s and catering vehicles should be properly maintained and be featured in the business risk assessment. See Safe Working at Carmarthenshire Markets.

In order to encourage a suitable product mix and diversity amongst traders most uses will be limited in number and this would normally mean a limit of two per type. 

In the case of organised market events or fesitvals however the limit will be extended according to the scale of the event. In the case of Monthly Food Markets the number will be limited to three

Application to trade on certain events will need to be lodged early enough for checks to be made for the suitability of the applicant. For some outdoor market events applications must be submitted a minimum of 5 working days before the event. Those submitted later, and those who exceed the limit of like-businesses will be put on a reserve. Those on the reserve list may still be asked to attend if space is available after a withdrawal or if the event manager is satisfied the limit on like-businesses can be extended.

It is the responsibility of each individual outdoor market trader to maintain appropriate insurance in accordance with the requirements provided by Carmarthenshire County Council.

All traders must have the following Business Insurance to trade at either the indoor or outdoor markets in Carmarthenshire.

• Public Liability Insurance with a minimum value of £5,000,000
• Product Liability Insurance with a minimum value of £5,000,000
• Employers Liability Insurance at a minimum value of £5,000,000

Cover can be obtained through membership of the National Traders Market Federation (NMTF) or through an insurance broker of your choice.

i. Required insurance – Public Liability, Products Liability and (if stallholder has any employees) Employer’s Liability
ii. The Business Description should encompass what a trader is selling/doing
iii. There should be no exclusions in the policy which relate to what the trader is selling/doing
iv. Indemnity Limit - £5 million for all policies. Public Liability and Employers Liability should be written on an ‘Each & Every claim’ or ‘Each Event or occurrence’ basis. Products liability apart policies written in the ‘aggregate’ are not acceptable
v. All policies to be written by a company of appropriate standing and acceptable to the Council. If the insurers are rated A- by AM Best or BBB by Standard & Poor they will be acceptable. AM Best and Standard & Poor are companies which rate financial strength of insurance companies and A- (for AM Best) and BBB (for S&P) are the minimum required ratings for a company to have achieved for them to be acceptable – All insurance companies will have a rating by one, or both, of these companies.

All traders who attend either the indoor or outdoor markets operated by Carmarthenshire County Council are required to have an appropriate risk assessment.

The Risk Assessment will identify hazards, risks and control measures in order to protect those at risk from harm.

The Risk Assessments are a legal requirement and will be in addition to any Health and Safety at work legislation relevant to the business.

Traders are required to provide safety compliance documentation for any equipment being used at the market.

All electrical equipment must carry the CE marking, be PAT tested and carry a current certificate from a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) registered contractor. The equipment should also be PAT tested.

All gas equipment must carry the CE marking and must have a current Gas Safety Certificate.

The indoor market hall is not licenced for the sale or consumption of Alcohol.

A separate licence must be obtained by individual businesses for the sale of alcohol in both the indoor and outdoor market. The sale of alcohol must also be agreed by the Town & Market Manager or Assistant Market Manager at application stage and must fit with the tenant mix.

Sales of alcohol at the outdoor market must be approved by the Town & Market Manager or Assistant Market Manager for all events and be supported by a Temporary Event notice where the event is not supported by a premises licence.

Note: Carmarthenshire County Council do not have a Premises Licence for outdoor market events.  If the event is being delivered by a third party, the trader should check whether  the event organiser has a Premises Licence before applying for a temporary event notice.

Unless specifically confirmed as part of an event, the outdoor market does not allow the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises.

Please note a request to sell alcohol may incur additional costs

Food businesses must be registered with the council where they live.

Food hygiene ratings must be displayed at all times.

Traders should provide their rating when making an application, we only accept applications from food businesses with a hygiene rating of 3 and above.

If you are a new food business we will accept an application whilst you are in the process of applying for your hygiene rating.

If you live in Carmarthenshire you can register with us online.

No, the trader must provide their own electricity and gas supply.

All electrical equipment must carry the CE marking, be PAT tested and carry a current certificate from a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) registered contractor. The equipment should also be PAT tested.

All gas equipment must carry the CE marking and must have a current Gas Safety Certificate.

The Council will monitor local weather conditions and forecasts for adverse and severe weather warnings. The decision to operate, cancel or close the market will be taken when the predicted or actual weather conditions are considered to present a risk. The risk in this case is in relation to harm to the public, to traders, to the Council’s staff or to cause damage to equipment or the surrounding properties.

High Winds

As mentioned above gazebos need to be of a robust construction to withstand windy conditions and domestic type gazebos generally cannot be used in winds of 27 mph or more .

Most professional gazebos will tolerate wind speed gusts of up to 40mph and traders are required to check the manufacturer's advice for compliance.

Traditional market stalls constructed of square sectioned assembled steel frames can generally tolerate higher wind speeds but they still need to be held down by weights – please see information below. All traders are expected to follow manufacturers advice and may be asked to provide information confirming the performance of the stalls used.

Wind speeds are monitored by the Council prior to the market day.

The procedures relevant to the various weather conditions are as follows;

For wind gusts between 26-40 mph – Only Professional Grade Gazebos or Structures will be allowed

• Erecting/dismantling to take place under normal operating safe system of work (at least two persons to each stall)
• Adequate weights, or similar, must be used to secure gazebos/structures
• Weights should be placed on stall legs where wind gusts of 26 -40mph are predicted
• Immediately after the gazebo legs have been opened and extended, the legs should be raised
• During dismantling weights should remain in place while the legs are lowered
• Canopies are left untied when erecting/dismantling

For wind gusts more than 40 mph

• Only professional market structures will be permitted
• Vehicles/Catering Trailers will be permitted if considered safe in high winds

A dynamic assessment will be made in the morning of the market day. If wind speed gusts are considered excessive for the type of gazebo or structure used the trader may be stopped from trading or from accessing the market concourse. Similarly if the stall structure is considered to be dangerous, or there is no provision for the appropriate weights then traders may not be permitted to attend the market.

If wind speeds increase during the day the Council may close the market early.

Snowfall

In the event of heavy snowfall, blizzards or drifting during market operations, the Council will have discretion to cancel or close the market early
This operation will be carried out when it is deemed safe to do so following a dynamic risk assessment

Heavy Rainfall

In the event of heavy rainfall and there is a likelihood of flooding during market operations, the market manager will have discretion to cancel or close the market early
This operation will be carried out when it is deemed safe to do so following a dynamic risk assessment

Dense Fog

In the event of visibility being reduced to less than 50 metres during market operations (due to dense fog), the market manager will have discretion to cancel or close the market early
This operation will be carried out when it is deemed safe to do so following a dynamic risk assessment

Extreme Heat

Food retailers are to ensure that they have food storage facilities suitable for use in extreme heat and they are able to comply with Environmental Health standards

Important

All trading must be in accordance with the Council’s terms and conditions for market trading and to the requirements set out at the registration stage.

In the event of any adverse weather conditions, the trader is responsible for their own safety and for the safety of others at the market. In the event of adverse weather traders should establish whether the market is open before attending, that their business insurance provides adequate cover for the conditions and that all equipment is being used according to the manufacturer’s advice.

In the event of the market’s closure resulting from adverse weather no compensation will be paid to traders for the economic loss.

On such occasions where Carmarthenshire County Council decides to close the market early owing to adverse weather, there will be no market charges where the decision to close the market is made before 10AM.

Carmarthen Outdoor Provisions market is a market open to all types of independent traders selling a range of fresh food, gifts, goods, and services.

The locations of Carmarthen Outdoor market are Market Precinct, Red Street and Chapel Street, Carmarthen town centre.

Carmarthen Outdoor market is held every Wednesday and Saturday between 8.30am and 5pm, with an additional local producers market every Friday. See Trading in Carmarthen Local Producers Market.

Casual traders must be present at the market between 7.15am and 8.00am and will be allocated a stall based on availability.

Loading and unloading

Traders can access the market site with vehicles from 6am to unload. All vehicles must be off the market area by 8.30am. 

Traders can re-enter the site with vehicles to load at 5pm on a Wednesday & Saturday. The market site should be completely vacated by 6.30pm.

• Priority is given to the public.
• Proceed at a maximum speed of 5mph.
• Use your hazard lights.
• Reverse with banks man

Llanelli Outdoor Provisions market is a market open to all types of independent traders selling a range of fresh food, gifts, goods, and services.

The locations of Llanelli Outdoor Provisions market are Vaughan Street, Stepney Street Llanelli town centre

Llanelli Outdoor Provisions market is held every Thursday and Saturday between 8.00am and 5pm

Casual traders must be present at the market between 6:00am and 7:30am and will be allocated a stall based on availability.

Loading and unloading

Traders can access the market site with vehicles from 6am to unload. All vehicles must be off the market area by 8.00am. 

Traders can re-enter the site with vehicles to load at 5pm on a Thursday & Saturday. The market site should be completely vacated by 6.30pm.

• Priority is given to the public.
• Proceed at a maximum speed of 5mph.
• Use your hazard lights.
• Reverse with banksman

Ammanford Outdoor Provisions market is a market open to all types of independent traders selling a range of fresh food, gifts, goods, and services.

The location of Ammanford Outdoor Provisions market is Quay Street, Ammanford

Ammanford outdoor Provisions market is held every Friday between 8.00am and 5pm

Casual traders must be present at the market between 6:00am and 7:30am and will be allocated a stall based on availability.

Llandeilo Outdoor Provisions market is a market open to all types of independent traders selling a range of fresh food, gifts, goods, and services.

Llandeilo Outdoor Provisions market is on the public car park behind Rhosmaen Street, adjacent to Llandeilo Library.

Llandeilo outdoor Provisions market is held every Friday between 8.00am and 5pm.

Carmarthen Local Producers market is a market for local producers, growers, and crafts people. All produce is to be the stallholders own either grown or made by themselves. 

The locations of Carmarthen Local Producers market are Market Precinct, Red Street and Chapel Street, Carmarthen.

Carmarthen Local Producers market is held every Friday in Carmarthen Town Centre between the times of 8.30am and 3pm.

Casual traders must be present at the market between 7.15am and 8.00am and will be allocated a stall based on availability.

Loading and unloading

Traders can access the market site with vehicles from 6am to unload. All vehicles must be off the market area by 8.30am. 

Traders can re-enter the site with vehicles to load at 3pm on a Friday. The market site should be completely vacated by 5pm.

• Priority is given to the public.
• Proceed at a maximum speed of 5mph.
• Use your hazard lights.
• Reverse with banksman.

Subject to availability, vacant stalls are offered in Carmarthen Market to traders on a ‘pop-up’ basis under a weekly ‘casual licence’ Tuesday – Saturday 9:30am – 4:30pm. (Traders may also attend Mondays at no extra cost by prior arrangement)

All items can be placed in the stall from 8:00am Tuesday (or Monday, by prior arrangement) and should be removed before 5:00pm on Saturday, with access to the stall being provided by market staff

Stall availability will be confirmed on a weekly basis only.  

The cost for a pop-up stall in Carmarthen market is £30 per week per single market unit. Some Pop-up stalls are larger than one unit which will attract a higher cost.

All traders wishing to attend the indoor market on a ‘Pop Up’ casual stall operated by Carmarthenshire County Council must register to attend the market. 

The market manager may refuse any request to attend the indoor market on a ‘Pop-up’ casual basis where the proposed business does not support the vitality, or it is considered unsuitable for the indoor market.

Subject to availability, Pop-up space is offered in Llanelli Indoor Market under a daily ‘casual licence’.

Pop-up space can be occupied from 7:30am but must be vacated before 5:00pm.

Pop-up space will be confirmed on a daily basis only.

The cost for pop-up space in Llanelli Indoor Market is £10 per day per 3 metre square. If the Pop-up space required exceeds 3 metre square it may incur a higher cost which will be confirmed by the Market Manager.

All traders wishing to attend the indoor market on a Pop-up casual basis must register with Carmarthenshire County Council to attend the market.

The market manager may refuse any request to attend the indoor market on a Pop-up casual basis where the proposed business does not support the vitality, or it is considered unsuitable for the indoor market.

Music

Carmarthenshire Markets have a licence to play music in the market hall.

It is a condition of trading at Carmarthenshire Markets that all traders have a right to work in the UK. Information about the right to work in the UK can be found on the Gov.uk website.

No. Traders may park in any public car park paying the daily rate.

Before continuing, please ensure you have the following documents and information to hand.

• Public Liability Insurance with a minimum value of £5,000,000
• Employers Liability Insurance at a minimum value of £5,000,000 (if applicable)
• proof of address, for example recent utility bill or bank statement

If you would like to sell food you must submit all of the above, and must also have:

• a minimum food hygiene rating of 3.
• food hygiene training to a minimum level CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering

If you're using a catering vehicle, you may be required to provide safety compliance paperwork, for example gas and electricity checks.

• Gas equipment must carry the CE marking and must have a current Gas Safety Certificate
• Electrical equipment must carry the CE marking, PAT tested and carry a current certificate from a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) registered contractor.

You will also need to provide a current Risk Assessment for your stall - Download a Risk assessment template.

Register to attend an Outdoor Market

Information taken from all registrations will be kept on record for future reference.

The principle considerations in the allocation of market stalls are governed by a number of factors and the Council is mindful of the following in seeking to create and sustain successful markets in the County;

• The need to offer choice
• To encourage healthy competition to maintain the vitality of the market
• To avoid oversupply of certain uses
• The suitability of the tenant, the provision of satisfactory trade and financial references
• The suitability of the stall in terms of size and proposed use
• Certain uses are prohibited being gaming, betting, the sale of firearms and the sale of drug related paraphernalia/legal highs
• The availability of stalls and shops for food preparation is limited to certain areas where external extraction fans are present 
• Quality of the applicants proposal

Whilst shops and stalls are primarily allocated to the highest bidder there are instances when applications are considered on other criteria. This would mainly be the case when bids of equal or similar values are submitted and there are justifiable reasons for other factors to be considered such as those referred to above. 

To a large extent market demand has a significant influence on the mix of tenants but there are instances when other considerations feature in the allocation and decision-making process. The Council does not have a policy to create or enforce a specific or rigid tenant mix but the principles of choice, competition and saturation need to be respected. 

The vitality of the market relies on the shopper having a wide range of products and services on offer so that the market is a  realistic option to online shopping and supermarkets. To help achieve this a limit may be applied to the number of stalls permitted for a particular retail category, the limit may be raised if there are valid reasons to do so.  

You can register to attend a pop-up stall online.

Before continuing, please ensure you have the following documents and information to hand.

• Public Liability Insurance with a minimum value of £5,000,000
• Employers Liability Insurance at a minimum value of £5,000,000 (if applicable)
• Proof of right to work in the UK, for example British passport, biometric card issued by UK Border Agency or birth certificate.

If you would like to sell food you must submit all of the above, and must also have:

• A minimum food hygiene rating of 3.
• Food hygiene training to a minimum level CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering

If you're using catering equipment, you may be required to provide safety compliance paperwork, for example gas and electricity checks.

• Gas equipment is not permitted in the pop-up stall in the market hall
• Electrical equipment must carry the CE marking, PAT tested and carry a current certificate from a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) registered contractor.

You will also need to provide a current Risk Assessment for your stall - Download a Risk assessment template.

Apply for a pop-up stall in Carmarthen market

Information taken from all registrations will be kept on record for future reference.

You can register to attend the indoor market on a Pop-up casual basis online.

Before continuing, please ensure you have the following documents and information to hand.

• Public Liability Insurance with a minimum value of £5,000,000
• Product Liability Insurance with a minimum value of £5,000,000
• Employers Liability Insurance at a minimum value of £5,000,000 (if applicable)

During the registration process you will be required to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. Further information can be found here.

If you would like to sell food, you must also have:

• A minimum food hygiene rating of 3 from the food standards agency.

If you're using any electrical equipment, you will be required to provide safety compliance paperwork.

• Electrical equipment must carry the CE marking, PAT tested and carry a current certificate from a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) registered contractor.
• Gas equipment is not permitted for use in pop-up space in the market hall

You will also need to provide a current Risk Assessment for your stall - Download a Risk assessment template.

Information taken from all registrations will be kept on record for future reference and is transferrable to the outdoor casual markets.