13 march 2023

You want to open a shop – where to start?

Once you’ve decided WHAT to sell, you have to decide WHERE to sell it. When choosing the premises for your shop, consider that they can only be used according to their intended use, which you can find information on by searching the address of the shop in the appendix to the list of
uses of buildings in the Building Register.
Once you have selected the suitable premises for your shop, it is time to familiarise yourself with the requirements in your field of trade. Don't panic, it's not as difficult as you might think.
To offer and sell a product or service to a consumer, familiarise yourself with the Consumer Protection Act. Requirements for price publication, user manuals, product labelling and many other important things can be found there. The obligations of the service provider are written in the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act.
In order to obtain the right to sell alcoholic beverages, you must submit an economic activity notification to the Register of Economic activities (MTR) in the field of retail trade. The same requirement also applies to trade in tobacco products and products related to tobacco products, which are regulated by the Tobacco Act. Alcohol may only be sold in accordance with the Alcohol Act. The sale of alcohol in the city of Tallinn has additional restrictions on the retail sale of alcoholic beverages..
If you start trading in food, also familiarise yourself with the Food Act, according to which you must inform the Agriculture and Food Board that you are going to sell food. You can contact them with any questions by calling +372 605 1710 or by e-mailing [email protected].
All the relevant laws can be found on the www.riigiteataja.ee website.

ENTREPRENEUR!

Before signing a lease agreement for shop premises, make sure the premises are suitable for your purpose
When trading, follow the requirements of the Consumer Protection Act
Fulfil the service provider's obligations
To obtain the right to sell alcoholic beverages, submit an economic activity notification to the MTR in the field of retail trade and comply with the requirements of the Alcohol Act
To obtain the right to sell tobacco products and products related to tobacco products, submit an economic activity notification to the MTR in the field of retail trade and comply with the requirements of the Tobacco Act
When trading in food, comply with the requirements of the Food Act

More information can be found on the Tallinn Consumer Protection portal.
If you have any questions, call our number +372 640 4232, write to [email protected] or come to the Tallinn Consumer Protection Information Centre on the 1st floor of Vabaduse väljak 7.