A HOMELESS man has welcomed the moving on of street traders who have reportedly been annoying shoppers at a West Devon town supermarket, writes Guy Boswell.

Long-standing Tavistock vendor Neil Stout – who trades from the centre of town – has raised concerns about rival Big Issue sellers ‘harassing’ customers at Morrisons and Tesco stores. It is believed that one of the vendors has been authorised by the Big Issue to sell its magazine on the streets. However, permission has not been given by either supermarket for them to trade on what is private land.

More than one seller has been seen outside the two supermarkets and it is thought the approved member of the group shares out his quota of magazines to other group members who are not approved to sell them. Morrisons confirmed it had ‘simply moved the sellers on’. Tesco has yet to comment.

The Big Issue provides people facing poverty with the means to earn a legitimate income. Unlike begging, selling the magazine offers people facing difficult circumstances with the means to earn a legitimate income whilst developing money management skills, building networks, and ultimately reintegrating into mainstream society.

The Co-op has recently been stocking the Big Issue in two stores in Tavistock. However, this does not help the individuals directly who sell officially on the street and is also seen as another ‘competitor’ by Neil, who is the town’s etablished vendor.

Neil, who has been selling the Big Issue in Tavistock high street for five years, said: “It’s good to hear that action has been taken against vendors who are trespassing on the supermarkets’ land if they haven’t got permission. If they are also sharing out their magazines to others to sell unofficially, this can only be wrong.

“I have worked for years to build up a trusted relationship with my customers and it can only damage this relationship if some rogue vendors are breaking the rules. The Big Issue magazine has a good reputation nationally and locally. It does not help the brand’s reputation and therefore, the legitimate vendors’ own lives, if some are intent on selfishly taking advantage of the Big Issue’s name to their own gain.”

Neil has worked hard to forge a good relationship with the people of Tavistock who have taken him into their hearts and is now ‘part of the scenery’. On his 60th birthday, shoppers and traders joined in celebrating by buying him cards and hot drinks.

Penny Walster, service development director at the Big Issue Group said: “Our organisation does not ‘licence’ individuals to sell the magazine. Official Big Issue vendors are self-employed, they buy the magazine from the Big Issue for £2 and sell it for £4 and keep the profit.

“There is one official Big Issue vendor known to our frontline team, who sells on his public land designated pitch in Tavistock. The individual alleged to be giving magazines to unofficial sellers is not known to us and we haven’t had any recent complaints logged by our team from the Tavistock area. We would encourage any member of the public who comes across this individual to report them to ourselves at [email protected] and the police as soon as possible.

“Big Issue staff do outreach work on a regular basis to visit and support official Big Issue vendors across the UK whilst also looking out for any misconduct. Our advice to the public is to make sure you only buy a Big Issue magazine from a vendor who is showing a valid, in date Big Issue badge, wearing a red Big Issue tabard and is selling the current edition of the publication. It is also important to always take the magazine.

“The support of the public to official Big Issue vendors is invaluable. We wouldn’t want the actions of a small number of individuals to blight the futures of the thousands of people whose lives have been changed through enterprise by selling the magazine.

“We work closely with the police and other local authorities and the magazine is widely recognised by these organisations as a positive force in the lives of those with whom we work because of the structure, visibility and support it provides.”

She added: “We can confirm that there haven’t been any discussions with any retail outlets about expanding sales in the area. Some supermarket managers do allow vendors to sell under cover on private land which enables them to stay warmer and drier and we would welcome conversations with Tesco and Morrisons around developing more of these sheltered pitches in the future.

“The profit from magazine sales in the Co-op and other shops supports our core operation and impact to deliver on our mission to help millions of people in the UK affected by poverty to earn, learn and thrive.”