Lidl baked beans are better than Heinz - they have less sugar.
Can I add horseradish, branstons, piccalilli and MARMITE to your list ...
Mincemeat and mincepies/Xmas puds
But - you will have to charge the earth if you considering making a living - weight, petrol, rent and IVA to add, plus CCIAA dues, licence and so on - you cant think you can just add 10p a pack and you'll be raking it in. You also want such small quantities that no wholesaler will consider you.
McVities are now selling big here - even sponsoring Striscia la Notizia, but still no hobnobs.....

Hi Lorna
I guess backed beans, bacon and gravy granules are on most peoples wish list. They are certainly on mine. I started my list with the things I miss most like crisps, bacon, biscuits etc.

Never thought of paracetamol, but then I don't like taking tablets even when I am ill.

Pete

Hi Modicasa,

Piccalilli must be at the top of the list. Erh.... CCIAA is it the extended branch of the CIA? Why is the bureaucracy so difficult in Italy. It is no wonder there are so few small business in Italy. I have talked to Italian friends in Italy and they all so, don't open anything in Italy it is too difficult, try the UK or America......

I am in the early stages of looking at this, and am open to advice. I have even thought of a mobile English shop that visits the markets on set days. With a website giving info when and where plus prices.

I have found a wholesaler in the UK who will deliver mixed pallets to Italy at a reasonable price.

I certainly need to do something as I am the bored house husband at the moment.

Pete

tinned custard and evaporated milk

To be honest I am not sure. Bacon is a must but it becomes more difficult in storing and the sell by date.

Pete

I have just started to do a fairly regular order from an online supermarket(I won't say the name but you all know it)for myself and friends.Many of them don't have a credit card or even a pc.I thought the demand would have been higher but as summer is coming a lot of people are going back to the UK,volcano cloud permitting.Lots of people wanted squash and Ribena as they can't bring liquids.Crisps,mustard,horseraddish sauce,porrige oats,teabags and even sudocream were the most popular things. I would also love to have a small shop here but a couple of ones selling foreign foods have gone bust.This could be because Neopolitans are not keen on trying anything new but they love Cadbury's chocolate though.

I live not too far from Milan and most of the things that people have talked about I can already get, either in Esselunga, the Asian shops and a deli in town. I have held off replying because I didn't want to put a damper on your idea but you have to wonder why it hasn't been done before. I have asked about cider and brown beer before and neither travel too well.

Will you be doing mail order for us Southerners? TCP would be a must on my list, Lysoform is rubbish.

tinned custard - I thought Birds no longer did it.... but they do in Malta.

Re the bureaucracy - I think a mobile market is a great idea - much better than a shop - and the markets in Italy are fab. It would keep your running costs down and allow you to have a much greater catchment area. I know some market traders so will ask them what the form filling is like - your big problem will be getting a stall - it requires booking sometimes months ahead for a pitch, certainly here in the south - and if you want to do the religious festival markets which are the big pull - there is huge competitiion for pitches.

If you plumped for a shop, you would need to register your 'impresa' with the Camera di Commercio (CHamber of Commerce) at which point you start paying INPS (NI) and IVA (VAT) whether you trade or not. You will need a commercialista, and become adab hand at filling in ledgers.

You will have to pay for a certain form which allows deducitons to be reclaimed cross border, and whcih used to be an annual return but is now quarterly - your commercialista will charge you for each one as well as the tax stamp it costs to submit.

You have a rental contract which if commercial will be probably for 6 years, renewable - though you can deduct the rent from your expenses.

And you would need a licence to sell foods, so it means taking over an existing food shop. You will also have to do a course and pass it, in ITalian, for food hygiene before you can handle foodstuffs. You pay for that course and it will be run perhaps by the ConfCommercio or the CCIAA (Camera di Commercio)

The rules for markets are undoubtedly more relaxed!

business is funny I had Italian friend who wanted to start a business in London I said just do it, they expect loads of paperwork, you could think of name and be trading the next day in London and do the paperwork later or not, I went to a big market I think it was on a Sunday near Vicenza, I could have sworn it was the same people that did Romford market on Wednesday, there was a French market in ilford selling strawberry and garlic and things cant see how they make money, but there was a man from Spain selling own brand olive oil at a boot sale where I used to live and a french stall selling cheese who told me he drove from France two or three times a week, and there is a big market near Liverpool street station where a man from Sicily sells cheese so they must make money somehow

What about a chippy Frozen at sea cod and haddock, mushy peas, local potatoes for the chips. You could do; fish chips and mushy peas, fish and chips with curry sauce, meat pie gravy and chips, fishcake and chips, deep-fried sausage and chips. You could also stock your HP sauce tea bags etc. OR... what about a mobile chippy or even a mobile burger van!!

It is a good point. I have wondered why it hasn't been tried before. I think the crazy form filling and rules stops most people, including Italians from trying to start a business. In the UK there are loads of specialist shops for the immigration population. But not so here.

TCP arrgh my mother used to rub it in my cuts when I had fallen over. More as a punishment than a cure.

18 months ago I suggested to my wife that I experiment with home made KFC with a view to a little take away. But it was pants I just couldn't get the flavour right. We had invited some italian young friends 20 & 19 year olds and they devoured it. But it wasn't any where as good as KFC.

I had never thought of a chippy, they work in Spain. but I think because the UK masses go there for holiday get burn get drunk and eat english. Italy is very different. I think people come here for the food and love of the country.

But I must say it has got me thinking.

I'm not sure if that is true for handling packaged foodstuffs.

Certainly the 16 year old school leaver that works in the COOP supermarket has no such kind of certificate.