By Community Correspondent Enya Jha. On the 6th February 2010 the entrance of Centrale shopping centre in Croydon was packed with local teenagers. Contrary to some beliefs, they were not there for pleasure, but instead taking part in a Young Enterprise Trade Fair, selling products which they had designed and produced themselves.

All the young adults taking part represented a company they had formed. Each company had come up with a unique creation, and were prepared for many sales on the day of the fair, which ran from 9.30am to 5.00pm. There were a variety of ideas on show, running from face painting, to shampoos, to revision packs.

Local shoppers stopped to appreciate the efforts of the young companies and many ended up making purchases. Amongst consumers were also judges, who were marking every individual group on their product, presentation, and team efforts. Presentation of awards took place halfway through the day, awarded by the Mayor of Croydon, who made an appearance.

Amongst the four prizes handed out was Highly Commended, which was given to the company Abstract, for best product presentation. This particular company specialised in a shampoo and conditioner, uniquely flavoured as ‘Strawberry Cheesecake’. They won the award due to the fine presentation of their stall, which was classily co-ordinated with black and pink – their company colours – in order to match their pink shampoo.

Many passers by commented on how impressed they were by the accomplished products which had been devised by the young entrepreneurs. Angela Jha, a Croydon local who happened to be shopping that day, said, “I am so impressed with all of these stalls – it looks like all of these products have had so much thought put into them. These youngsters should be really proud of themselves. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next”.

So, overall it was a great success for the students of the Croydon schools. With a successful day for most companies, it seems as if they learnt a lot about business, as well as providing a good service for local shoppers. We can only hope that Croydon is nurturing the great entrepreneurs of tomorrow!