Town centres · Precincts · Pavements
High Street
Sampling.
EXECUTIONAL is a UK high street sampling agency supplying static and roaming sampling teams to brands and their agencies for product launches and trial campaigns in town and city centres across the UK, since 2007.
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Types of high street sampling teams we supply
How a street sampling team works.
High street sampling is handing out your product to shoppers on town and city centre streets, from a pitch or with a team on foot. Every high street product sampling campaign comes down to two choices: hold one spot or move with the crowd, and whether anything stands on the pavement.
Many campaigns do both, with a pitch as the base and a small team nearby sending people to it. Street work follows the same standards as the rest of our product sampling service.
Licensed pitch teams
Staff hold the spot named in the permission and hand out to the flow of shoppers. They never block the footway or a shop entrance. Councils grant this set-up most readily.
Gazebo, cart and trike teams
Staff set up, run and pack down your branded structure inside the licensed area. It keeps more stock to hand and gives the brand a clear marker. A structure often needs its own permission from the council or landlord, as it takes up street space.
Roaming sampling teams
Moving with the footfall where the permission allows it: shopping streets mid-morning, food courts and office quarters at lunch, transport routes at the end of the day. More on roaming sampling; for street teams beyond sampling, see street marketing.
Cold product runners
Staff keep chilled samples cold on a street with no power. They work from your cool boxes at a base point and top up the team while the pitch stays covered.
Stockist steer teams
Sampling a few doors from a shop that sells the product, with the shop's agreement, so the taste and the purchase happen on the same trip.
Multi-town leads
One lead covers a day or a weekend across several towns. They keep pitches, timings and the brief consistent and handle changes on the day.
How we brief and clear our street sampling teams
Cleared for public space.
Right to work and ID checked. Employer's and Public Liability cover on every booking. Food hygiene certificates, alcohol licensing, DBS checks and risk assessments on request for the council or landlord's paperwork.
We cut the brief to what works on a moving pavement: the product, the one reason to try it, the nearest place to buy it, and the conditions written into the permission.
Every street team member is paid through our PAYE, with National Insurance and HR in-house and every town on the run on one itemised quote.
Geo-tagged check-ins at each pitch and a 24/7 support line answered day and night.
We work within council and landlord rules
The pavement belongs to someone.
A busy shopping street on a Saturday puts more people within arm's length than almost any other place, and none of them needed a ticket to be there. The catch is that everyone who takes a sample was passing anyway, so the high street rewards products with broad appeal and a stockist nearby.
Public pavements belong to the council and private precincts to their landlord, and either can decide where, when and how big a pitch can be. You or your agency secure the space; we plan the team around the permission, keep the footway clear and work the hours when the street is at its fullest.
We are a nationwide high street sampling agency
Town to town, street by street.
Teams come from the staffing hub nearest each town, across 40 hubs in the UK. Sampling in a town not listed here? Tell us in your quote request.
Our compliance checks for every street team
Insured and ready.
Our recent high street sampling work and clients
Town centres we've sampled in.
Pitches and roaming teams in UK town and city centres, with what was handed out and where. See all recent work →
Why brands keep booking our street teams
Street teams brands book again.
How we select your team from the nearest hub
From your town list to samples in hand.
Towns, dates, hours, headcount per town, and whether the pitch is already licensed.
Town by town and shift by shift, with no hidden fees.
People with street experience drawn from the hub nearest each town, and a lead on multi-town days.
A short brief, the permission conditions, and a check-in before the first shoppers arrive.
Ask us for an itemised street sampling quote
Get a quote for high street sampling staff.
Request a quote
Request your street sampling quote.
Share what you know. We'll recommend the team and prepare an itemised quote.
Pitch and permission questions we answer every day
Pitches, permission and street teams: your questions.
What is high street sampling?
High street sampling is handing out your product to shoppers on town and city centre streets, from a pitch or with a team on foot. It trades focus for reach: lots of people, quickly. The council or landowner gives permission, you or your agency apply, and we supply and manage the team on the day.
Who gives permission to sample on the high street, and how far ahead should we plan?
On public pavements, the local council, through its street trading, licensing or town centre team; in privately owned precincts and squares, the landlord or estate manager. The brand or agency applies in most cases. Permission takes longer than staffing: some councils reply in days, others need several weeks. Once the pitch is confirmed, a team can often be in place at short notice.
When does the high street see the most footfall?
Saturdays from late morning to mid-afternoon, and the weeks before Christmas. Weekday lunchtimes work in city centres with lots of office workers; smaller market towns are often at their fullest on market day.
Can you sample food and alcohol on the street?
Food, yes: food hygiene certificates are available on request and the team works from your allergen information. Alcohol on public streets is often restricted by local rules and is rarely permitted; where it is, Challenge 25 and licensing are available on request.
How many samples can a street team hand out?
It depends on the stretch, the day, the product and whether people need it explained, so we plan headcount and stock with you rather than promise a number. Tell us your target and we'll suggest the team and hours to meet it.
Is the high street right for a niche product?
Not on its own, in most cases: the high street trades focus for reach. If your audience is narrower than everyone in town, tactical sampling starts from the audience and picks the place to suit.
What if it rains?
Sampling carries on in light rain, with staff prepared for it under your uniform. If weather is a real risk for your dates, the covered alternative is product sampling at shopping centres, booked with each centre in advance.
Where can you run street sampling?
We operate nationwide, in town and city centres across Britain, with each team drawn from the nearest of our 40 staffing hubs. Recent streets include Leeds city centre and central London.