TEENAGE traders will once again take over a shopping centre in Cowley on Saturday to tempt shoppers to buy their products.

Budding entrepreneurs have set up their own companies and will be selling a range of goods including tote bags, water bottles, vinyl clocks, cookbooks, herb growing kits, contactless card protectors and winter accessories.

Its being organised by the charity Young Enterprise for its 14 to19-year-old company programme students in order to teach them business and life skills.

Pupils from 26 Oxfordshire schools have formed 31 teams and elected a board of directors, raised funds and created a product or service to sell.

They have been helped by local volunteer business mentors to learn about shareholders, profit and loss and marketing.

Judges including Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds will visit the stands throughout the day at the Templars Square shopping centre and at the end of trading they will present awards to the winning teams in categories such as best stand, best product and best customer service.

Cassandra Cardiff, the area manager for Young Enterprise Oxfordshire, said: "The event provides young entrepreneurs with genuine trade fair experience and a means to showcase the incredible things they’ve accomplished to date as student-run start-up companies."

As part of the company programme, students have the opportunity to set up and run their own company for a year.

After teams elect their board of directors, raise share capital and market as well as finance the product or service they created.

At the end of the year they liquidate their company and present a report and accounts.

Teams also take part in the company of the year awards, supported by HSBC, and compete in a UK final the winner of which goes on to contest a European final with teams from 33 other countries.

Andy Berrow, the local volunteer board chair for city and central Oxfordshire, the event shows that students in Oxfordshire have a 'real entrepreneurial flair'.

He added: “The range of goods that they will have on sale proves that innovation is alive in our young people.

“For many this will be the first time that they have sold to the public so it will test their marketing and sales skills. Hopefully, some of them will turn out to be tomorrow’s business leaders, and in any event they can all take the corporate skills that they learn through Young Enterprise with them into the world of work.”

Templars Square centre manager Owen Acland said the shopping centre was ‘delighted’ to host the trade fair. He said: “We are looking forward to another high standard of presentations and hopefully the public will join us in force to celebrate.”