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How Do I Get Permission to Trade a Catering Van in a Store Car Park?

by Al
(Essex)

Teal twin-axle catering trailer serving customers in a UK retail store car park

Teal twin-axle catering trailer serving customers in a UK retail store car park

Hi I would like start up a catering van business in wickes car park, I spoke to store manager and they have told me call their customer service, but the number they have provided is giving information only about thier products and click collect how do I contact wickes and get premission

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Sep 25, 2026
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by: MobCater

Getting past the front desk to the person who actually controls a big retailer's car park is one of the most common frustrations I hear about, so you are not doing anything wrong. The store manager almost never has the authority to say yes, and the customer service line you were given only handles products and click and collect, so you will just go round in circles there.

The first thing to understand is that a store car park is private land, so this is not a council street trading matter. Street trading consent is for pitches on or beside a public road, and it does not apply on private property. What you actually need is the landowner's permission, and with a national chain that decision sits with their property or estates team at head office, not with the local store. Many of the big retailers also hand their car park concessions to a separate property or facilities management company, so the real gatekeeper might not even be the retailer.

So aim higher than the store. Put your request in writing and ask to be directed to the property, estates or facilities team, or to the firm that manages the site. Keep it to one page: what you sell, the days and hours you would like, that you carry public liability insurance, your food hygiene rating, and how you will handle waste and litter. There is a directory at www.retailconcessions.co.uk that lists contacts for this exact kind of retail store pitch, and it can save you weeks of phone tag. I also built a location and pitch research template into the free app so you can record each site, its landowner and who you spoke to, which is the very legwork you are doing now.

When you do get a yes, get it in writing as a proper pitch agreement that names the exact spot, the days, hours, fee and notice period, never a handshake in the car park. A few things need sorting whatever the site. Register as a food business with your local council at least 28 days before you start, which is free at food.gov.uk/register. Carry public liability insurance, which every site expects and costs from about £150 a year. Keep your gas safety certificate current if you run on propane. It is also worth a quick word with the council planning team, because a regular pitch on private land can need planning permission.

The traders who land these spots are the ones who approach the estates team with a tidy proposal and lead with what is in it for the retailer, a bit of extra footfall and a handy service for their customers for a small concession fee. Do that and you are already miles ahead of the person still ringing the product line.

All the best

David

Disclaimer: This is general advice for UK mobile catering. Licensing and permission rules vary between councils and landowners, so always check with your local authority and the site owner before you start trading.

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