Businessmen demand to stop street vendors in Torreón; they ask for greater regulation

The commercial sector perceives a general increase in street vendors, both in the center of Torreón and in the neighborhoods and the periphery, so they will ask the municipal authorities for greater regulation of this problem, in addition to inviting informal vendors to join the law.

Fidel Villanueva Tarín, vice president of services for the National Chamber of Commerce (Canaco) in Torreón, participated this Wednesday in a supervision operation in the Center, where street vendors were visited together with inspectors from Plazas and Markets. He pointed out that the fact that there is so much street vendors represents unfair competition for those who pay for premises, taxes and all legal benefits.

"We must somehow ensure that these vendors become regularized, that their presence is as minimal as possible and invite them to join formal commerce, which is ultimately the best for them, for the government, for commerce," he commented.

Another aspect is the sale of Chinese products, which has proliferated in the city and many are of low quality or of dubious origin, so he insisted that legality must be reviewed, because this is expensive.

"Legality also has a cost, we have to transfer it to the consumer and it is unfair competition because a street vendor does not pay taxes, does not pay for electricity, does not pay for water, does not pay for all the paperwork to be regulated, so their prices are lower, but that does not help either the municipality or them," he said.

Villanueva Tarín said that there have been discussions with the municipal authorities to ensure that there is greater regulation and to relocate informal workers who occupy unauthorized spaces.

He acknowledged that street vending has grown throughout the country and mentioned that it is common in the colonies or in the periphery, where as soon as a convenience store is built, informal vendors have already set up shop outside, which represents unfair competition for them due to the expenses that they do not cover and that established businesses do.

"There are costs that are embedded in the law," he reiterated.