Dudley Council efforts sees 19 illegal ‘pop-up’ shops close in less than a year

Dudley Council’s Trading Standards has closed 19 illegally run stores in less than a year.

The team acted between May 2024 and March 2025, with the closures understood to be the highest number made by any single Trading Standards team in the country during a single financial year, it said.

Often referred to as ‘pop-up’ shops, the stores were found to be selling illegal tobacco, cigarettes, disposable vapes and other drugs to customers including children.

There were also further concerns of modern slavery, people trafficking and other serious crimes being operated by groups running the stores, Dudley Council reported.

Following several sting operations in the spring and summer of 2024, the council obtained closure orders from Dudley Magistrates court for High Street Mini Market in Brierley Hill and Halesowen Mini Market on Peckingham Street, both remain closed.

Since September 2024, a further 17 shops, located in Stourbridge, Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill, Netherton and Coseley, have been closed.

Landlords evicted their tenants for carrying out criminal activity on the property, with support from trading standards, Dudley Council report.

Councillor James Clinton, cabinet member for public health commented on the closures: “The trend of illegal pop-up shops has sadly become a national issue, but Dudley’s trading standards has streamlined enforcement action and we’re helping landlords to understand the checks they can make to secure law abiding tenants in the future.

“Organised crime groups are beginning to run out of vacant premises to move to in our borough, with some only staying in business for a couple of weeks before we shut them down.”