Glow-in-the-Dark Goods - Manchester Trade Your Way to the USA

CBBC is once again on the hunt to find Britain's best young traders.

We've scoured the country to find the next generation

of budding entrepreneurs.

They need to know how to buy, how to sell

and how to close that deal.

Everything must go!

From more than 1,500 applicants,

just 14 teams have made it through to the heats.

Now the battle begins in Trade Your Way To The USA.

They'll each be given £75 cash and a tough trading challenge.

-They must decide what to buy...

-Which trick draws the biggest crowd?

This one.

-..negotiate the lowest price...

-What would you say at 20p?

I'd say absolutely no.

..and then sell, sell, sell.

-HORN SOUNDS

-Come on, guys!

-£2! £2 for these!

-Roll up!

FRANTIC GIBBERING

The team that makes the most money wins the challenge...

60, 70... £70.

..and a place on our all-important leaderboard.

Only the top four teams go through to the semi-finals

and only one of them will be crowned Britain's Best Young Traders

in Trade Your Way To The USA.

Please buy!

Trade Your Way To The USA is back and it's tougher than ever.

Today, some of Britain's best young traders will be tested to the max.

Let's meet the two teams who have dared take our challenge.

It's Street Smart Sellers versus Carpe Diem.

ALL: We're Carpe Diem, and we're going to trade our way to the USA.

This trading trio from Bolton are all brothers.

They're Aamir,

Rayyan

and Umar.

Our team is called Carpe Diem because it means 'seize the day' in Latin.

And that's what we're all about doing - seizing the moment.

PHONE RINGS

Carpe Diem, how can I help you?

Brothers make a great team because we've always stuck together

and nothing has ever brung us apart.

These business brains already know how to make a profit.

Carpe Diem's biggest money-makers - personalised phone cases.

We turn something like this, which costs us pennies,

into something like this, which makes us lots of pounds.

Together, they're the complete package.

Aamir is the team's head honcho.

In every great team you need a brilliant leader.

I'm going to drive my team to victory. Pathetic! Come on!

If we're going to win this thing we need stamina! Come on!!

Rayyan can make a sale, whatever the weather.

I'm the team's sales specialist, and I sell with the seasons.

In the winter, I sell woolly hats.

In February, I sell Valentine's chocolates.

In the summer, I sell sunglasses. Now, these are what people want.

Youngest brother Umar sells home-made cakes.

He's sure he's got the recipe for success.

I've got flair, I've got imagination...

HE LAUGHS

..and that's what's going to help our team win.

ALL: We're Carpe Diem and we're going to seize the day

and trade our way to the USA.

WHISTLE BLOWS

ALL: We're the Street Smart Sellers,

and we're here to trade our way to the USA.

This girl group are from Sutton in Surrey.

They're sisters Maddy...

WHISTLE BLOWS

That's how it's done!

..Tabby...

..and best friend Evie.

I think our team can win because we've kind of got it all as a group

and we work really well together and we get on, like, never argue.

We're, like, mega team.

Street Smart Sellers already run their own successful

jewellery business.

Our strategy is to take things with low cost

-and turn them into...

-Big bucks.

ALL: We're Street Smart Sellers because we're all smart

and we're ready for action. Bring it on!

The battle lines have been drawn between two teams of tough traders.

Girl power from Street Smart Sellers versus Carpe Diem,

the brothers with business brains.

But only the team that makes the most money

can win today's challenge.

The teams have arrived in Manchester

with no idea what their trading challenge will be.

All they do know is that they have to win to stand a chance

of competing in our USA grand final.

Welcome to Manchester.

You're here because tomorrow there's an enormous festival

to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

It's the year of the Dragon

and over 65,000 people are expected to join in with the festivities.

That's a lot of potential customers.

Your challenge is to sell a selection

of glow-in-the-dark products.

They could be from glasses to glow sticks, face paints to fingernails.

You're going to have to choose which products to buy,

negotiate the lowest prices...

..and then sell, sell, sell.

The team that makes the most money wins the challenge.

Here are your trading funds.

I've given each team £75 to trade with.

Street Smart Sellers, are you ready?

ALL: Yes!

-Carpe Diem, are you ready?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Let's buy!

The battle is on. The teams have £75 to spend.

Buying the right products now is crucial to winning this challenge.

Now, before you buy any product, you really need to understand

exactly what it is you're selling. So I've brought you here to meet

your expert, Mark. He's going to show you exactly how to make money

from glow-in-the-dark products.

This is your market research time. Here are your notebooks.

Are you ready?

-ALL: Yes!

-Let's buy!

The teams have just 15 minutes to learn all they can

about goods that glow in the dark.

They must make every question count.

What's your most popular item?

We sell lots of the glow sticks, the bracelets,

the urchin pendants and the spike pendants.

They're our biggest sellers.

Do you know in them tubes what are they?

These are hair colorants. They're OK for people having parties,

but maybe not so good for the Chinese New Year.

Which is most appropriate for the challenge we're doing?

Depends who you think you'll be selling to -

younger children have that sort of thing, adults will want the glasses.

(Both teams are demonstrating excellent questioning skills.

(They've already asked what are the top sellers

(and what products would be appropriate for their challenge.

(I'm very happy.)

What is RRP on the foam tubes?

I suggest you sell for a pound.

Excellent from Maddy, asking about RRP -

that's Recommended Retail Pricing.

She's demonstrating great business awareness.

Any more questions?

If there was one product you'd recommend to get,

which would you say it is?

I would say go for the spike balls. One of our biggest sellers,

they look good, go for the spike balls.

OK, teams, your time for questioning is up. Thank you very much, Mark.

Now you've got to decide how you're going to spend your £75.

So, guys, we've got £75. How shall we spend it?

We've got to try and spend it as well as we can,

so let's think about this really carefully.

-Huh?

-Yeah.

If I were doing the challenge, I'd invest my £75 on two products -

Mark's best-sellers, the spike balls,

and his biggest profit makers, the glow-in-the-dark bracelets.

'These bracelets can be turned into anything

'from glasses to bunny ears.'

I'd buy both in bulk to negotiate the best prices.

But what will the teams do?

OK, so 20 to 30 starfish,

154 glow bands, 100 glasses and ball and things.

£30 LED blue stars and rings and glasses frame.

If we have enough money...

'That's a very long list.'

Carpe Diem are struggling

to decide exactly what their business strategy is.

..and £15 into spike balls.

Are the girls doing any better?

-Spiky balls.

-Right, spiky balls is right.

Mark said they were popular.

These are going to be the best-sellers, these bracelets.

OK, girls, so, Tabby, what has caught your eye and why?

We're going to buy these bracelets,

because we can make loads of things out of these

and he said they make the most profit and they are his best-sellers.

You are going to go and negotiate now.

What's your strategy for negotiation?

We're definitely going to buy in bulk,

because the price should go down.

'It's a great business strategy,'

but the boys are also sure they've got what it takes to win.

We think we'll start at a low price

and work our way up and meet with him.

And also buy in bulk order, so we get discount and hopefully get it cheap.

OK. Sounds like you've got a plan. I'll see you in the negotiation.

Carpe Diem are convinced that buying a wide variety of products

will make them the most money.

Street Smart Sellers reckon bulk buying bracelets

and turning them into lots of different items

will bring them the cash.

But it's down to who can negotiate the best deals

for their glow-in-the-dark goods.

This will be the toughest negotiation

they've ever had to face. But to win this challenge,

they must get great deals now.

First, it's the girls.

They need to know exactly what they want to buy

with their £75 trading fund to get the better of Mark.

-OK, what would you like to buy?

-OK.

We've been looking at these spiky balls.

-How much do you sell them individually at?

-At £1.10.

-£1.10.

So if we bought 20, how much would that cost us?

It would cost you £22.

How about £12?

No.

-Will you meet us halfway?

-N-n....

£16?

OK.

The girls have come in with a firm handshake,

sat down and negotiated £6 off the best-selling product.

Can't ask for better than that.

-These bracelets, they're 100 in the pack?

-Yes.

And they are all different colours?

-Yes. There are five different colours.

-How much for 100?

-£6 per 100.

-We were hoping to get three packs for £10.

-No.

-OK.

Will you give us £5 a pack?

How about £5.50 a pack?

£15.50 for three packs.

-16.

-£15.90.

Just 10p. 10p, it makes a big difference.

My top tip in any negotiation is hold your nerve.

You can't let your guard down and Maddy is demonstrating that.

Er, OK. OK.

The girls negotiated brilliantly and got some great deals.

They're a tough act to follow.

The boys are next.

They had a very long wish list. I only hope

they've decided what they're going to get with their £75.

What do you want to get? Glow bands.

So, the 100 glow bands, I think we should buy them.

We could sell 100 and make it for about 20 quid.

-Are they connected with...?

-No, you get them... Shall we get five?

They're spending a lot of time

trying to pick the products they want.

They're not giving themselves a lot of time for negotiation.

I'm a bit concerned.

Because we're buying 400 glow bands, could you do it for £20?

That's 20% off, isn't it?

Could you do £21.20?

Yeah, OK.

Ten starfish, how much are they? £8?

£9.

£8.70, please.

£9.

£8.90.

-OK.

-Thank you.

And how much are the fibre-optic hair bands?

-The fibre-optic hair bands are £2.50 each.

-We'd do five of them.

Which is £12.50, isn't it? Yeah?

Shall we ask for one more for free?

Um, please can we have one more fibre-optic hair band for free?

-So you want six for £12.50?

-Yes, please.

Um...

-OK, OK.

-Thank you very much.

Well done. I love that. They got something for free.

Great negotiation.

-So how much does it all come to, please?

-What have you got there?

-£44.95.

-It's more than that.

They haven't been writing down the prices. They're not keeping track

of what they're buying. My top tip in any negotiation

is write down the prices

and look at what the numbers are telling you.

That way, you can't go far wrong.

-I think it's £69.

-It is. You've got some money you haven't spent.

-Could we get some more stars and hearts, please?

-OK.

-Thank you.

The girls spent half their £75 trading fund

on 20 best-selling spiked balls and 300 glow sticks.

They also invested in 25 foam sticks at 76p each.

It's a big gamble, but will it pay off?

The boys didn't buy any of the best-selling spiked balls.

Will that be a decision they regret?

They did buy hair bands, hearts, stars, starfish and 400 glow sticks.

I just hope there's enough time to sell them all.

Tomorrow, one team will shine brightly.

For the other, it's lights out.

Today, the competition hots up.

Street Smart Sellers take on Carpe Diem.

Both are desperate to win

and get one step closer to the Trade Your Way To The USA grand final.

Because the team that takes the most money today at Chinese New Year

will be in with a chance of becoming Britain's best young traders.

Good morning, Carpe Diem. Good morning, Street Smart Sellers.

You're here in Manchester, where over 65,000 people

are expected to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

You have two hours to sell your glow-in-the-dark goods.

Remember, the team that makes the most money wins the challenge

and they will stand a chance of trading their way to the USA

and becoming Britain's best young traders.

Are you ready?

-All: Yes!

-Let's set up.

The teams need to get ready for when the visitors arrive.

-Let's get going, guys.

-Street Smart Sellers have a secret weapon

they think will beat the boys.

We've worked out Chinese figures that mean "glow-in-the-dark products".

It's one of our winning strategies!

Great idea, girls, but in order to sell,

it's vital the teams get their prices right.

So what's the plan?

We're going to sell these for £5, or three for £12.50.

So you've some discount set up?

'Carpe Diem's strategy to get them to the USA is the more you buy,'

the cheaper the price.

But the girls aren't giving up without a fight.

Most of them are £3, like these, those and the starfish.

They paid 80p each, so at £3, that gives them a £2.20 profit.

The foam sticks are £5.

Hang on, they only paid 76p for each of those sticks!

If they don't sell,

'it could cost them a place in the semi-finals.'

-Are you feeling confident?

-ALL: Yes!

OK, I'll see you later. Good luck.

'Their stalls are set.

'Tens of thousands of potential customers are heading their way.

'Let the battle begin.'

Teams, are you ready?

ALL: Yes!

-Three, two, one, start trading.

-KLAXON

One starfish, £3. Two for a fiver.

All of our prices are here.

There you go.

Thank you. We made our first sale, a necklace for £3.

The boys are off to a flying start.

Glow-in-the-dark glasses! One for a fiver, three for a tenner.

My top trading tip for demonstrating products, show them off.

Wear them so that customers can see exactly what they are

and how they'll look.

-Are these Chinese-y?

-No, not really.

-How much are they?

£4. Two for £7.

-Thanks. Thank you very much.

-Rayyan has made another £7 sale

and taken Carpe Diem one step closer to America.

I'm feeling pretty confident that we can win this thing.

He may well be right.

The team that makes the most money wins, and only metres away,

the girls don't seem to be selling a thing.

No-one's interested.

I'm surprised at Street Smart Sellers,

because before they were so confident about selling,

now they seem to have stage fright.

-Spiky pendants!

-No-one's coming.

You guys try as well, because I can't just do it.

Guys, you've got to come forward and do it.

Would you be interested in buying our glow-in-the-dark goods?

Not going very well. We haven't really sold much at all.

We've just got to work harder and get some more confidence and happiness,

because Tabby and Evie are getting really depressed.

Because they're too scared to go up to people.

Selling is not easy and if you get down in the dumps about it,

your customers will pick up on your body language and they won't buy.

30 minutes in and Street Smart Sellers' dreams of winning

seem shattered.

Get your glow-in-the-dark glasses!

One for five quid, three for 12 quid.

-Street Smart Sellers, how's it going?

-Badly.

-Not very good.

-What's wrong?

-There doesn't seem to be many people around.

Excuse me, there are thousands of people here!

Nobody really wants these glow-in-the-dark goods.

You've got to be passionate and confident

and make your customers come to you!

Come on! Do you want to win this or not? Let's go for it!

-Glow-in-the-dark goods!

-Would you like to have a look?

Would you be interested?

We've got rings and we've got little flashing starfish.

Finally, Street Smart Sellers are demonstrating their products

and they are getting customers.

We've got some wicked pink rings. They're only £2.

One hour to go.

So, Carpe Diem, how's it going?

It's going really well, we have sold quite a lot.

What's your best-seller so far?

Our best-seller has been the starfish.

-Have you sold out of those?

-We've got about four left.

What's not selling so well?

I think these glow sticks and the glasses and things.

OK, and you bought 400 of those, didn't you?

'To be in with a chance of winning today, and competing in the USA,'

Carpe Diem need to sell those glow sticks.

'And for both teams, time is running out.'

-How's it going?

-Quite well.

-Better.

And which has been your best-seller?

The best-sellers are the rings and the pendants.

We haven't sold these.

We thought these would be our best-sellers, but they're not.

'In business, no-one gets it right all the time.'

The trick is to realise your mistakes.

With half an hour to go, the girls do just that.

£2! £2 for these.

We're selling these for £2 when we originally wanted

to sell them for £5.

So not so great, but we have to because none of them have been sold.

Only £2!

The foam sticks cost 76p each, so even at £2,

it's still a fantastic profit. Well done, Maddy.

Thank you. Have a nice day, happy Chinese New Year.

So how are Carpe Diem doing with those 400 glow sticks?

Um, you know your stall,

-do you think it looks pretty?

-No.

Are you just going to leave it like that?

-Put them at the back. I told you to tidy up before.

-I tried.

-I didn't know it was all there.

-Just do it!

With 15 minutes to go, who will pull it off?

Everything must go! £1 for everything.

They got off to a slow start, but there's no stopping the girls now.

Everything here's £1!

-These are £1 each?

-Yes.

I got quite a good deal here. I got one, two, three, four, five,

-a fiver's worth.

-Glow-in-the-dark products, glow in the dark.

Sometimes in business, it doesn't matter how much profit you make

as long as you make something.

50% off! Half price!

Carpe Diem bought 400 glow sticks. With just minutes left,

they have to sell them.

You snap them, then you shake them and they glow in the dark.

We need some help at the store.

OK, you do these. Take some of them as well.

-How much is it?

-100 for £10.

What?

Three for ten? £10. Deal.

This man's doing a good job.

There's only one minute left and it's all to play for.

Every penny counts.

Everything is now 50p!

Everything must go!

-Would you like to buy some glow sticks?

-Take it all.

-Thank you very much.

-Nine, eight...

Thank you so much.

'Unbelievable. With seconds to spare,'

'Aamir sold 100 glow sticks for £10, double what he paid for them.'

-Two, one, stop trading.

-KLAXON

Boys, stop trading. Can I have your cash box? Good luck.

I need your cash box. Thank you.

We're in it to win it.

We made the last sales in the last ten minutes,

which was £10 in the last ten seconds.

I think we're definitely in with a chance of winning,

so hopefully we will win it.

I'm relieved it's over, because it was quite stressful.

I'm not sure we won, but we tried our best.

But we all really want to win, so...

ALL: Fingers crossed!

They bought, they sold

and they closed deal after deal.

But now it's time to find out who's won the challenge

and is still in the running to go to our USA grand final.

Welcome to Manchester's Royal Exchange.

At one time, this was the largest trading room in the world,

so the perfect place to reveal today's winning team.

Remember, 1,500 young traders applied to be in your shoes.

Only 14 teams made it through.

You should be very proud of yourselves.

Only one team can win the challenge

and only they stand a chance of trading their way to the USA

and becoming Britain's best young traders.

The cash has been counted.

Carpe Diem. You made...

..£81.60.

Street Smart Sellers...

..you made...

..£168.50.

Congratulations. You're our winners!

'Street Smart Sellers are today's winners

'and are in with a chance of competing in the USA.'

-I'm feeling so excited!

-Yeah, we're really proud.

And we can't wait, like, to find out what's next.

We're going to be a much better team of traders after this experience.

As you they say, you learn from your mistakes.

We made quite a lot of them.

We might not have won today, but we've had great fun,

we've had great experience. It's been a truly amazing time.

We're going to keep trading and keep making money.

Street Smart Sellers,

you've demonstrated some excellent business skills. Well done.

That earns you a place on our leaderboard.

'Along with the winner of each heat.'

Only these teams stand a chance of getting to the final.

Street Smart Sellers' £168.50 knocks DNA into third place.

But will it be enough to keep them in second position?

Because only the four teams that make the most money

go on to fight it out in the semi-finals.

The most successful people in business demonstrate

strong leadership in difficult situations.

They roll their sleeves up, get stuck right in and never give up.

These are the traits we saw today in our winning team

and their skills are worth remembering

if one day you to want to trade your way to the USA.

Next time on Trade Your Way To The USA, two more teams do battle.

-What would you say at 20p?

-Absolutely no.

You're not doing very well, because you're not demonstrating.

Get your circus goods!

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