Age Restricted Products - Information for Businesses

If you sell age restricted products follow these guidelines.

Do

• Train and educate your staff to make sure they are fully aware of the age limits.
• Keep records of training and instructions given to staff. Ask staff to sign the records when they have received the training.
• Train your staff on the acceptable proof of age cards and make sure they ask for identification if they have any doubts about the age of the person.
• Display the statutory warning notices for cigarettes and fireworks. You may wish to consider other warning notices at the point of sale or entry to deter underage customers.
• Use "Point of Sale" reminders for staff.  This could take the form of an electronic display on the EPOS system, stickers or posters.
• Keep a refusal book or refusal sales sheet and instruct staff to keep a record whenever a sale of age-restricted products is refused

Don't

• Supply age restricted products to any person who you believe may be underage unless they can provide proof of their age.  If you are still in doubt, and the person cannot provide legitimate proof of their age, refuse to sell the goods to them.
• Rely on looks alone, it is accepted that it is difficult to assess the age of young people. If in doubt ask for proof of age.
• Sell to an underage person who tells you they are buying the product for an adult.

Remember

Both the manager / owner of the business and the employee, who sells an age-restricted product, may be liable to prosecution for an illegal sale. 

If you are a business in Cheshire and would like more information or advice on selling age restricted products please email our Business Support team.

For more information see our Age Restricted Products Advice.

Contact us

Page last reviewed: 29 June 2021