The Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS), is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC047951). Our members are professional trading standards managers representing every Scottish local authority trading standards service.
The Society liaises with local council colleagues across the UK, and engages with government and others around the operation of the consumer protection landscape, providing leadership and consistency to Scotland's 31 trading standards teams. We aim to educate, coordinate, and support.
SCOTSS also maintains the Approved Trader database which is an online portal to all of Scotland's trading standards run assured trader schemes, try it...it's free!
*NEW FEBRUARY 2026* SCOTSS now provides a free anonymous Reporting Form which allows anyone to pass information about suspected illegal tobacco sellers to us - we will then use this to target action in Scotland.
SCOTSS works with a wide range of government, regulatory, consumer, business, and third sector organisations, mixing operational and technical expertise with policy work, in order to ensure the effectiveness of consumer protection services in Scotland.
Advice Direct Scotland is a Scottish Government funded service that offers free and impartial advice on all consumer issues and aims to help consumers understand their rights and how to exercise them. Consumers are referred by the service to local authority trading standards services where appropriate for further action. SCOTSS also works with Citizens Advice in England and Wales, so that consumers right across the UK have good access to information, advice and advocacy.
CTSI, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute is a professional membership association formed in 1881. It represents trading standards professionals working in the UK and overseas - in local authorities, the business and consumer sectors and in central government.
It exists to promote and protect the success of a modern vibrant economy, and to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of citizens by enhancing the professionalism of its members.
Trading Standards Scotland is a national team managed by COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities). They are funded directly by the Department for Business and Trade, and HM Treasury, to provide a cross border service to combat scams, national consumer issues, and illegal moneylending, across Scotland.
CMA, The Competiton and Markets Authority is a non-ministerial government department, that works to promote competition for the benefit of consumers. CMA was created out of the Office of Fair Trading and the Competiton Commission in 2013, and its aim is to make markets work well for consumers, businesses and the economy.
The CMA has a strong focus on competition and market issues, but also enforces consumer protection legislation to tackle practices and market conditions that make it difficult for consumers to exercise choice.
Consumer Scotland is an independent statutory body established to ensure consumer interests are at the heart of a fair, transparent and sustainable Scottish marketplace. It is a Non-Ministerial Office that is independent of the Scottish Government and accountable only to the Scottish Parliament. Consumer Scotland is an advocacy body and we liaise across a number of relevant areas that affect Scottish consumers such as fair trading, metrology and product safety.
Find your nearest trading standards office location in the UK courtesy of CTSI, the only regularly updated location database.
Find a locationScottish Trading Standards find that up to 1 in 5 retailers are selling vapes to kids.
Ongoing work by Trading Standards Officers in Scotland testing sellers of tobacco and nicotine vaping products (vapes) has found that more than 1 in 7 premises visited sold cigarettes, and more than 1 in 5 sold vapes to an under 18 volunteer. These are disappointing results and may in the case of vapes be caused by their child appealing nature, and their wide availability in shops and service premises.
Last year, officers with young volunteers attempted 677 test purchases of vapes and 289 test purchases of tobacco at premises across Scotland with 148 failures for vapes, and 38 failures for tobacco, where sales were made to under 18s. In total 207 fixed penalties were issued by Trading Standards Officers.
A full report can be found on the SCOTSS website here.
Chris Bell, Chair of SCOTSS commented: Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland said: It is vital that retailers are held to account for under-age sales of cigarettes which, when used as manufacturers intend, will kill up to two thirds of consumers and e-cigarettes containing toxic chemicals that can damage developing lungs and brains over time.”
"Progress on implementing the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Act and the potential introduction of a ban on displaying vapes and nicotine pouches in Scotland would be welcome. Additional funding for trading standards teams across the nation is vital to ensure future restrictions on the visibility and availability of recreational nicotine products can be comprehensively enforced to protect children and young people.”
“The health of young people is a key priority for Trading Standards and smoking is the greatest threat to their health and development, especially for younger children. These results are very concerning and we will be stepping up efforts this year to support sellers with advice and continue to take enforcement action where sellers break the law.“
“It is deeply disappointing that some retailers are selling addictive and health harming tobacco and recreational nicotine products such as vapes to children.