Semi 1 - Fancy Dress Trade Your Way to the USA

I'm Sara Khan and I'm a successful businesswoman.

I started trading when I was a teenager.

Now I'm looking for the next generation of budding entrepreneurs

who are fantastic at trading and know how to make a profit.

Can you do three for £2?

-Can I interest you in only 50p for the jumbo sword?

-Yes.

-No.

I'm looking for the best young traders in Britain.

-Would you like a pick-and-mix fruit dessert?

-Very nice, oh, lovely.

From over 1,000 applicants,

four teams have made it to the semifinals.

They are Prosperity, Aspire, Sapphire, and The Determinators.

They have an eye for a bargain.

Can you give it to us for five?

-You are getting a really good deal.

-£6 for them.

-Yes, £6, OK. Yeah.

They're tough negotiators.

-7.5.

-7.5? What, meet halfway?

-Yeah.

And they're top sellers.

"I Love London" mugs and spoons!

£1 a slice of chocolate cake. Help us beat the boys!

The team that wins today's challenge will be in the grand New York final

and they could be named Britain's best young traders.

Welcome to the semifinal of Trade Your Way To The USA.

Today's semifinalists are Sapphire from South London

versus The Determinators from Lancashire.

Sapphire stormed to victory in the first challenge

with their pick-and-mix fruit dessert stall.

Anyone want any Eton mess for just £1? Come along, come along!

Bismah, Sonali and Komal

took £136.60 - a massive £61.60 profit.

I'm really, really excited, but also very nervous.

They showed they're tough traders.

Hello, sir. We have a pick-and-mix fruit stall.

Rather than wait for customers to come to them,

they took their desserts out on the road, even selling to other traders.

-Would you like a pick-and-mix fruit desert?

-Come on, sir, give us a yes!

So Sapphire proved they're top traders,

but they're up against some tough competition.

The Determinators came out on top,

-running a cheese stall at a farmers' market.

-Fresh cheese!

Bread going half price!

Suhail, Danny and Eli took £123.13,

a healthy profit of over £48.

The Determinators were strong cheese traders.

That's £3.10.

We're selling out of cheese

so I think we're going to do well and at the end of the day,

we're going to make a large profit.

With time running out, they slashed their prices

and sold all their stock.

So it's sparkling, smooth-talking Sapphire versus Determinators,

the deal-making dynamos.

But which team will take the most money and win the semifinal?

Because only one team will be jetting off

to New York for the grand final.

It's time to trade.

Today we're sending our teams to Prestatyn in North Wales,

to one of Britain's most popular family-holiday resorts.

Thousands of people come on holiday here every year

for sun, sea, sand and fun.

Determinators, Sapphire, congratulations,

you've made it to the semifinal.

ALL: Thanks.

It's a big achievement. How are you feeling?

Really excited, but really anxious for the task ahead.

OK.

-Danny, are you up for it?

-Yeah, I'm up for it.

I'm nervous, because we don't know what we're doing.

Well, guys, everything's at stake.

The team that wins today is going to the USA.

-Are you ready to find out what your challenge is?

-Yes.

Get ready to be creative because you have got to come up with

your own fancy dress theme to sell to partygoers

at a Welsh holiday camp.

So the teams will have to decide what costumes

will be bestsellers for the big fancy dress parade tomorrow.

There'll be hundreds of partygoers.

What will they be looking to buy?

I've got your trading funds here.

This time the amount has been doubled.

Remember, as I always say, spend it wisely.

Thank you.

With the £150 trade fund they have to buy in two different places.

In this fancy dress shop they have to spend £75.

And with the other £75 they'll hit the High Street.

But first they have to do their research.

Sandra has run this business,

Clown Around, for over 19 years.

If I were you, I would pick her brains,

ask as many questions as you can,

because her knowledge will help you to firm up some of your ideas.

So what main target audience come here

and is it like under-fives or under-15s?

On average it's from your age group right up to adults.

-What fancy dress do the adults buy?

-At the moment...

Themes change and whatnot,

but at the moment, it seems to be the pirates or '70s.

As I say, the big Afros

and the bling stuff, as everybody calls it these days.

I noticed the face paint there. Is that a big seller

or does nobody like that?

The one that we sell is very popular.

And it's a quality professional make-up.

The teams have really quizzed Sandra.

Top traders, remember, it's vital to do your market research.

You need to know where you're selling,

who you're selling to and who your competition is.

Sapphire and The Determinators now have just 15 minutes

to decide what to buy for their fancy dress stalls.

The Determinators have come up with a clear idea and Suhail thinks

they're onto a winner.

We're thinking of selling mostly pirate stuff

because she said that pirates are probably the bestsellers in the shop.

-Yeah, we definitely need the hats.

-These are £2. Five of each.

-Do you do the balloons separately?

-Yes. They're £1.50 each.

A shoe buckle. Put it on your shoes So it looks like they're boots.

There's a pirate scarf.

Yeah, we need to think about females as well.

That's for females.

Sapphire are planning to buy a big selection of accessories.

-Sandra, can I ask you a question?

-Yes.

How much are the wigs?

-They're different prices.

-How much would you say...

The blue one is £8.99.

Sapphire are picking things without a theme. It could be risky.

Police baton, £1.75.

Our plan for tomorrow is a pick-and-mix thing

so we'll ask the customer who they want to dress up as

and we'll give them all the accessories and give them

anything they need to look like that character.

-So these ones are £1.75.

-A dollar medallion is £3.75.

We're only allowed to spend £75 in the shop so we have

to get as much as we can for our money.

The stuff here is quite expensive.

It is time to spend the first £75.

They've now got to negotiate with Sandra.

Remember, they have to haggle for the best prices now so they can

take the most money tomorrow and trade their way to the USA.

The Determinators are up first.

The hook. Could we have six?

Now it's £9.75 for five. Could we have six for £9.75?

-So we're getting an extra one?

-OK.

-Good start.

Determinators get six hooks for the price of five.

Patches. Please could we have six of them?

So we're paying £4.75 for five, but pay £4.75 for six.

Again, Danny's pushing for an extra one free.

And on the bandana, could we get...

-We're on five for...

-The Jack Sparrow one.

..for £7.45, but could we get three of these...

and two of the big Jack Sparrow ones?

OK.

-All right.

-Good work, Danny.

He's made great deals on the hooks, patches and bandanas.

-Is the deal sealed?

-We'll let the calculator decide.

Well, that comes to £68.

The Determinators have £7 left and Danny wants to spend it all.

Five, um...

-You know, the moustaches with metal bits on it?

-Mm.

Five of them added on.

-But they were £2 something.

-To equal it up.

I'll stretch you to three.

-Thank you.

-Pleasure doing business.

-And to you.

-I think she'll be happy.

-Thank you.

I think the Determinators have spent their £75 very wisely.

They've chosen items that you can only buy in a fancy dress shop.

Next it's Sapphire's turn to haggle. They want lots of things

and Bismah's looking for a monster deal.

We want to offer you two deals and we're hoping

that you choose one of them -

whichever one's better for you.

The first one is that we buy our stock and you give us 50% off

-every item.

-But there is quite a bit of stock.

-Yeah.

-But it's quite a bit of a discount as well.

The second negotiation is that we pick up as much as we like.

But we'll give you £75.

-40%.

-45.

-45.

40 and I'll throw some freebies in as we're going along.

OK, that's fine.

-Yay!

-Yay!

-Thank you, Sandra.

-Thank you, Sandra.

-We love you.

40% discount.

That is amazing and it is a first on this show.

Those girls are so cheeky, but they stick to their guns

and they get what they want.

Sapphire push Sandra to the limit.

-The total would normally retail at £121.30. How much discount?

-40%.

-It comes to £72.78.

-How would they spend what is left?

What is your cheapest wig?

The cheapest wig is £4.99.

-That is OK.

-That is like around half. Come on.

It's the last thing we need to buy.

Yeah.

Wow! To top it off, Sapphire get the £4.99 wig for £2.22. Result.

They got a huge discount,

but I am concerned about the items they have chosen.

I am not sure what their theme is,

whereas the Determinators were very specific

with their pirate theme.

The teams have bought their fancy dress accessories.

Determinators are going big on a pirate theme.

And Sapphire's strategy is a risky mix and match,

make-your-own-costume stall.

Now they have to hit the High Street with the remaining £75.

They head to the discount stores

and charity shops to find the best fancy dress outfits.

-Are these sold?

-No.

-How much are they?

-They are £2.50 each.

I think we found

better stuff than the fancy dress shop in cheaper prices.

That has boosted my confidence.

Those police hats are a real find

and seven for £3.50 is a top bargain.

We saw a whole section of fancy dress items

and we got really good bargains.

-For £70 we got three bags' worth of stuff.

-Thank you.

The Determinators are making some cheeky buys for their pirate stall.

We are looking for striped shirts and pants.

We can cut them and make them shreddy.

They are on the hunt for shirts

and trousers to make their pirate outfits.

That is £20.50. Thank you.

-Everything is £1?

-Yup.

-Everything is £1.

-We've got £6 left to buy some pants.

That is a good buy, £6.10 for four pairs of trousers and two T-shirts.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'm confident.

We're happy with everything we bought.

We won't regret anything. It should go to plan.

The buying is over,

so what has each team bought with their £150 trade fund?

The Determinators have gone for a swashbuckling pirate-tastic stall.

They spent £75 on hats, swords, eye patches, hooks and bandanas.

On the High Street they bought stripy shirts

and trousers to complete the look.

Sapphire have a mix-and-match idea.

In the fancy dress shop they bought lots of fun, cheap accessories

and got some great free face paints.

With £75 on the High Street they found some quirky costumes,

police hat, sombreros and masks.

So, it's the pirates of the Determinators versus Sapphire's

pick-your-own idea. It's going to be a tough competition.

There is so much at stake.

The team that wins this challenge will be going to New York.

Who will compete in the Grand Final

and be named Britain's best young traders?

Now it is all about who sells best.

We are here at Pontin's holiday park in Prestatyn.

The holidaymakers are getting ready for the fancy dress parade.

But what kind of costumes will they want to buy?

Let the battle commence.

OK, teams, here we are at our Welsh holiday camp in Prestatyn.

We are surrounded by potential partygoers.

How are you feeling, Bismah?

I'm feeling really excited. I have seen the people here

-and I think I know how to attract customers, so I'm excited.

-OK.

-What about you, Determinators?

-We've looked and they're mostly kids.

That's who we've aimed it for. I think we are going to do well.

Brilliant, two very confident teams.

Let me remind you the team that takes the most money today

wins the challenge and is definitely going to the USA.

The other team will be eliminated out of the competition.

Are you ready to party?

ALL: Yeah!

Let's go set up our stalls.

There's just three hours to sell,

which team will be on their way to the USA?

The pressure's on to get their stalls ready.

I think it is very important to get our stall laid out,

because presentation is one of the first things people go for,

so we're trying our best and hopefully we'll come out good.

The Determinators are cutting up their shirts and trousers

to give them a pirate look.

I have to wear this costume in public.

So...I'm a bit embarrassed.

Feeling good, but nervous at the same time

cos the store opens in 10 minutes and we still have a lot to set up.

We have a lot of stock, which will help us win the challenge,

but it's also a hassle putting it all on such a small table.

Both teams have thought hard about how to price their products.

Just explain your pricing to me? I want to dress up as a pirate,

what will I get and how much will I pay for it?

It all depends on the items.

What Suhail's wearing,

we bought that for £6 so we're going to have it double.

OK. I want to buy a hat,

I want a hook, and I want an earring.

-And a sword. How much is that going to cost me?

-£13.

£13?

So this outfit is £13?

Sapphire girls, you look fantastic. How are you feeling?

-Very excited, ready to go.

-There's loads of customers.

Brilliant.

OK, you've got all your stock out, the store looks fantastic.

There's lots of items here. Just tell me about your pricing.

I think we're going to start off at £6-7,

depending on the customer and what they want to be.

OK, £6-7 for an outfit? And just so that I know,

how many items are you selling for that amount?

Probably three to four, not more than that.

-Whatever makes them look like what they want to be.

-Excited?

-Yes!

-Feeling confident?

-Yes!

-You ready to go soon?

-Yes!

I'll see you in a bit.

Arr, me mateys!

All fancy dress for sale here.

The stalls are set up and the teams want to sell.

Teams, are you ready?

ALL: Yeah!

Start selling!

They're £6 for a full outfit. I'm going to give you this skirt.

Some sunglasses to match your outfit.

Let's give you something else. What do you want to be?

The sombreros went straight away. We didn't have enough

so they were willing to pay quite high prices for them.

We bought the sombreros for £2.50 and they sold for £4,

so we made a lot of profit and people were fighting over them.

It's been really good.

Selling those sombreros, Sapphire make a £3 profit.

Sapphire have made a fantastic start.

They've got a clear plan and a clear sales strategy,

and they're sticking to it.

Their prices are brilliant. It's a very good start.

The Determinators are hunting for a sale.

It started off pretty bad,

but I think it's going to get all right now.

Suhail's gone out in a pirate costume.

He's attracting customers here.

We've got smaller ones.

How much are these?

That'll come to £6.

Danny gets the ball rolling and sells a sword and a hat for £6.

That's over £2 profit.

-Those face paints look popular.

-We decided

that we would do some face painting,

Sonali couldn't do anything.

They were like, "You can do it!"

I was like, "Oh, OK, let's do it."

I tried to practise on people yesterday.

It's a great hit, loads of people want to get it done.

A blue C and then a blue dot?

Sapphire's face painting is clearly a big hit.

They are charging £1.50 per face, and the paint was free.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Bye-bye.

Over at the Determinators' stall,

Danny knows they need to pull out all the stops

if they're going to make it to the final in New York.

He goes to the ice rink to tell people about their pirate stall.

Would you like a fancy dress costume?

Would you like to buy some fancy dress costumes for this evening?

Shiver me timbers, the ice skaters are a tough crowd to please.

I don't think it went that well.

They didn't know where our stall was.

Outside, it's not so easy.

Sonali's keeping her eye on the competition

and also hits the road, taking some accessories with her.

They're only £5, and I can give them to you for £3.50.

Sonali's sold two pom-poms to her youngest customer yet.

There's no stopping her now.

That's great, thank you very much.

Do you want this?

Yeah? This is £2.50.

She's a mean, keen selling machine.

Well, I came with some pom-poms, a red nose,

two hula necklaces and an orange pumpkin scarf,

and sold all of it.

Where's your mummy?

There's just one hour to go,

and the Determinators are battling to get the customers.

Danny and Suhail decide to take drastic action.

It's time to take to the stage.

Hello, everybody! Is everybody going to the fancy dress this evening?

ALL: Yeah!

-Have you got your costumes yet?

-Yeah!

If not, our stall's on the left.

It's absolutely amazing, you can't get better costumes anywhere.

Give him a round of applause.

That's a great bit of advertising.

All you top traders, don't forget to promote your product,

because the more publicity you can get for it, the more customers

will know about it and are likely to buy it.

Danny's stage stunt has paid off. The pirate stall is packed.

Can I have that one instead?

The Determinators are rising to the challenge.

Determinators, what's happened to your stock?!

How have you managed to turn this around?

We had a huge flood of customers,

and we cleared about £30-40 worth of stuff.

You have sold a lot of stuff, but are you having any problems?

People want accessories, not as much clothes.

The way that you've presented the clothes isn't very appealing?

You've still got lots to sell.

These clothes are worth a lot of money,

so that could make all the difference between

you not going to New York, and going to New York.

It's up to you. I'll see you later.

My top trading tip is presentation is key.

You have to make your store look good, because that will

attract the customers, and you're likely to get a sale.

OK, girls, wow. Looks like you've really sold out your stock, nearly.

Yeah, almost.

Tell me what's been going on.

People took all the costumes, and now we have bits and bobs left,

so we're trying to get rid of this.

Well done. Well, listen, carry on, I'll see you later.

ALL: Thank you.

The Determinators take note and get to work dressing their stall.

Over with Sapphire, they're doing well.

We bought six or seven police hats from a charity shop,

for I think 50, 60p, and we're selling them for £2.50 each,

so we're making quite a big profit on them.

Guys, you've got less than 15 minutes left.

There's still a lot of stock here now. What are you doing about it?

Getting rid of it.

How are you going to do that?

We're making it cheaper so that people will buy it.

OK, so you've got stock, it's a fantastic price,

you've got less than 15 minutes. Do I need to say any more?

-No.

-Go for it.

It's crunch time.

There's only 10 minutes to go, so both teams are picking up the pace.

All of this for 50p. All of it.

Oh, I might as well.

-Go on, have a pound.

-Are you sure?

-Here you go.

-Throw it all in!

I was planning 20p or 50p, she gave me a pound. One pound! Oh, gosh!

I sold out the balloons for 50p.

It's amazing. We've sold out. Completely sold out.

All we've got left is the table and the mannequins.

I'm pretty sure these might fit him.

Sapphire might have sold out,

but the Determinators are determined

to get rid of every last item.

That's got skulls on.

Thank you.

We can sell the mannequins.

Seriously, just sell these both for £5.

No, no...

Go down to £2.

Start at two, yeah.

-£1 for the lot.

-£1 for the lot, take it.

Determinators are dropping their prices even further.

Everything's 50p! Everything's 50p!

Everything's 50p, even mannequins and shirts and pirate hats!

Selling time is over.

Sapphire, stop selling. That's it, three hours are up.

Which team has traded their way to the USA?

The winners today will be in the grand New York final,

to compete to be named Britain's best young traders.

Determinators, Sapphire, you've had a really busy day

and you've done so well.

I'm very, very proud of you.

You're standing here as semifinalists,

and it's been a fantastic experience.

Suhail, how do you feel right now?

I feel a bit nervous,

but still excited cos I want to know who won.

Bismah, do you think you've become

a better trader as a result of this experience?

This time we met a huge variety of people

and now we've learned how to deal with them in a nice way

but still being firm, so it's definitely made me a better trader.

Remember, the team that makes the most money

wins and is guaranteed to go to the USA.

The losing team will be eliminated.

-Are you ready to find out the result?

-Yeah.

Let's start with you, Determinators.

You took...

..£111.70.

Sapphire...

..you took

£246.47!

Oh, my God! I can't believe it!

I'm so, so happy.

We worked so hard, and we've got through.

Now there's only one step to go.

I feel ecstatic. I cannot believe it.

We can definitely win the finals. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy,

with our eyes closed, cos we are that good.

High-five, girls!

Sapphire, you are amazing. Congratulations! Well done.

So, Sapphire win, taking £246.47.

They've traded their way to the USA.

And the Determinators were a tough team to beat.

Determinators, you took a lot of money,

you've been a fantastic team to watch.

I've enjoyed working with you, so well done. High-five.

So Sapphire are heading to the grand final in New York,

to compete against the winners

of the next semifinal to be named

Britain's best young traders.

Next time on Trade Your Way To The USA,

it's the second semifinal.

Cool-headed Prosperity versus cheeky Aspire.

I promise you we'll give them a better deal. I swear, right?

There's everything to play for...

We're trying to beat the boys.

At a big balloon fiesta.

Perfect fit. I think you look amazing.

But who will win and be in the grand New York final?

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