Being smarter consumers and support local businesses was the focus for Consumer Week which is being held this week.Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kim Wilson spoke at an presentation held at the Chamber of Commerce board room on Wednesday night to highlight the event for which the them for this year is: “Be a part of our economic growth. Support local businesses.”The presentation entitled “The Laws and You” sought to help businesses better understand how consumer laws affect their operations.“Quite simply, we thought that it was important to have this week to not only raise awareness of our responsibilities as smart consumers but to also highlight the importance of supporting local businesses as we endeavour to revitalise and stimulate our economy,” said Ms Wilson.Ms Wilson said that there were certain laws in place to ensure that traders deal fairly with consumers and while they existed to protect the consumer, businesses also benefited from the outlawing of disreputable business practices, the encouragement of fair competition between businesses and better protection from anti-competitive practices.She highlighted the three main laws in Bermuda governing businesses and service providers in how they conducted business with consumers, namely the Sale of Goods Act 1978 (as amended 2002) civil, which sets out the law on sales of goods; the Supply of Services Act 2003 civil, which details how services should be supplied; and the Consumer Protection Act 1999 criminal, which covers unfair businesses practices, unconscionable acts and consumer safety.“We take the role of safeguarding Bermuda’s citizens against unfair practices very seriously, and while handling complaints is a dominant part of the work of the Department of Consumer Affairs, education remains a critical part of our efforts in ensuring informed and responsible consumers and traders,” said Minister Wilson.