Everyone has the right to earn an income and improve their lives. They also deserve help along the way.
Being a Big Issue North vendor is a means for people to earn money, become self-employed, work hours that suit them, and have autonomy over their working lives.
In fact, each vendor is an entrepreneur – they buy magazines from one of our regional offices for £2 each, then sell them on established pitches in towns and cities for £4 across the north, keeping the £2 they make from every sale.
The money that Big Issue North makes from selling magazines to our vendors goes directly into Big Issue North Trust, both to provide further support to our current vendors, and to enable us to support more people to earn an income.
We believe that everyone has the right to improve their life. If you agree, please sign our pledge today.
Who are Big Issue North vendors?
Big Issue North is there for anyone who needs us or wants to earn money. The reality is that most people start selling the magazine because they have no alternative way of earning an income. Many of our vendors have had challenging, difficult pasts or experiences that continually impact their chance to gain mainstream employment. They may face mental or physical health struggles, drug or alcohol dependencies, a lack of education, qualifications, language skills, training or previous work experience, care responsibilities or a criminal record, or they may be new to the country.
Are all Big Issue North vendors homeless?
Vendors do not have to be homeless. Some are in private tenancies or rent from social landlords, while others are experiencing homelessness and living in hostels, staying with friends or family, or sleeping rough. Many of our vendors work by selling magazines to pay for rent, utilities and food.
Are vendors given the magazine, or do they buy it?
Vendors buy each magazine from one of our offices for £2 and sell it to the public for £4, keeping the £2 profit that they make.
Where can vendors sell?
Vendors sell on designated pitches in city centres and out-of-town areas across the North West, Yorkshire, and the Humber. Big Issue North works with shopkeepers, city centre management teams and local agencies to agree on pitch locations. Currently, there are approximately 300 active pitches across our region.
Can people selling The Big Issue claim benefits?
Yes. Like all eligible citizens, Big Issue North vendors can claim a range of in-work benefits. We ask all vendors to inform their local Jobcentre branch when they sign up to sell the magazine.
How long can people sell the magazine for?
We do not have a fixed time limit on how long people can work as vendors. We have tried this in the past and found that people who weren’t ready to move on lost the stability of the regular income that selling the magazine provides. We work with vendors to understand their aspirations, and the barriers that are in their way, and we support them to take opportunities to improve their lives, so that – when suitable, and if the vendor wants to move on - they no longer need to rely on selling Big Issue. This may include access to drug or alcohol treatment, training, educational classes such as ESOL, or seeking alternative employment.
Do vendors have to adhere to any rules?
We have a set of Vendor Expectations that all vendors must abide by. For instance, we expect vendors not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs that affect their ability to work. If people consistently breach this code of conduct, they may be asked to stop selling Big Issue North. You can read our Vendor Expectations here: https://www.bigissuenorth.com/about-us/vendor-expectations
What other support do you offer to vendors?
We work closely with every vendor to understand their personal aspirations and any barriers to achieving them. Our aim is to provide consistent, meaningful support that empowers vendors to make positive, lasting changes in their lives.
This includes direct support and referrals for crises, housing, finances, health and wellbeing, education, and finding new employment opportunities. We also support vendors in opening bank accounts, accessing forms of identification, and completing forms and paperwork as required.
In addition to one-on-one support, we run a range of practical projects - such as home furnishing packages, breakfast clubs, and Christmas gift bundles - that provide extra help when it’s needed most.
We connect with vendors regularly, whether they’re visiting us to purchase their magazines, on their pitches, or through outreach. Our team offers crisis support at our office and out in the community, alongside follow-up appointments to help vendors to stay on track with their goals.
Why do you work with so many people who are not British?
We are here to support anyone over the age of 16 who needs to earn an income. We always have more available pitches than vendors, and any money that Big Issue North Trust generates from magazine sales to vendors is reinvested into our service. In fact, the more vendors we have, the more we can do as a Trust to support them in improving their lives.
Since Romania acceded to the EU, the number of EU nationals selling the magazine has increased. Today, approximately 66 per cent of our vendors are Romanian, and an additional 6 per cent have nationalities including Polish, Slovakian, Czech, Latvian, and Italian.
Nearly all our non-British vendors say that working to sell The Big Issue helps them to improve their English language skills - something that can prevent them from finding other, more mainstream forms of employment. Most of their language development occurs during day-to-day interactions with customers and people in their local community.