Guides / Selling to new venues / 4 min
Contacting a new venue: the marketing rules in plain English
What UK marketing law lets a supplier do when approaching a new bar, restaurant or shop by email or phone, and where sole traders differ.
Published
A licence application tells you a business is opening. It does not let you market to it however you like. Two sets of rules apply: the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, known as PECR, and the UK GDPR. This is a summary of the Information Commissioner’s guidance and is not legal advice.
Companies and sole traders are treated differently
Under PECR a company or a limited liability partnership is a “corporate subscriber”. A sole trader, and some kinds of partnership, is an “individual subscriber” and is treated the same as a member of the public.
| How you make contact | A company | A sole trader |
|---|---|---|
| Email or text | The PECR rule on electronic mail does not apply | Treated as an individual, so the rule applies and you generally need consent |
| A live phone call | Not to a number on the CTPS or the TPS unless the business has consented, and not to a business that has objected | The same |
In practice
- Say who is calling, and let your number be displayed.
- If you hold a named person’s contact details, even at work, the UK GDPR applies: tell them, and have a lawful basis.
- Do not call a business again once it has objected.
- Approach the business, not the individual. Where a licence applicant is a person rather than a company, CiviFlow shows “individual applicant” and nothing that identifies them.