Some traders have packed up and left Jeremy Clarksonâs Farm-Fest early after claiming they were not making any money, with even Spud Man saying he is struggling to make a profit.
Business owners have posted tearful videos on social media, with one titling hers âwhat a shambles. Giving a new meaning to âdiddly squatââ.
Another stallholder alleged that their area was blocked off by a lorry.
Potato seller Ben Newman, better known as Spud Man, said he may make a small profit but warned that other caterers were struggling.
The social media star, who boasts more than 600,000 followers on Instagram, hailed the second day of trading, saying: âDid we have a good day? We did. Thank goodness, because if we were going to do it, it was yesterday.â
He said he hoped to âmake a little bitâ by the end of the third dayâs trading, which includes sales from another unit at the Bearded Theory festival in Derbyshire.
Organisers said they were âsurprisedâ that a âhandful of exhibitorsâ had left already from the 400 who attended.
The three-day festival is taking place over the bank holiday weekend across 300 acres at Stoneleigh Park, in Warwickshire, where adult tickets cost ÂŁ35 for a half-day or ÂŁ60 for an all-day admission.

Jeremy Clarkson is seen arriving alongside Kaleb Cooper to the three-day festival â taking place over the bank holiday weekend

Potato seller Ben Newman, better known by his social media moniker Spud Man, said he may make a small profit but warned that other caterers were struggling

Korrine Pallas, who owns pet product firm Phoenix Equestrian and Pet Supplies, said Friday was âthe worst dayâs trading we have ever hadâ
Korrine Pallas, who owns pet product firm Phoenix Equestrian and Pet Supplies, was one of those who left the festival early.
She said Friday was âthe worst dayâs trading we have ever hadâ.
âIt has been darn right awful at Farm-Fest,â she said in a video posted onto the companyâs TikTok account.
She added: âWhen I say itâs not worth getting out of bed for, itâs an understatement. It has been horrific, and I know everyone else is feeling the same and is in the same boat as us.â
Korrine updated her followers yesterday in a tearful message where she announced she was leaving a day early, something the company had never done before at a trade show.
Holding back tears, she added: âIt has been catastrophic for us, and when you are already a small family business in hard times it is heart-wrenching.â
She said they were a âfew grand downâ and it would cost her ÂŁ400 to come on Sunday âand I havenât even come near that in the last couple of daysâ.
âNowhere f***ing near in fact,â she said.
Emma, who co-founded pet brand Pops and Coco, said in a TikTok video today that the event was a shambles.
She said: âThere have been a lot of traders who have gone home â lots of traders left last night, particularly dog traders.
âI would say 90 per cent of traders across the whole showground, whatever they are selling, have either made a loss and they havenât made their costs back or they are only just making some money now.
âTo come to a three-day event like this, which has been heavily advertised on social media, to walk away at a loss is incredible really.â
Saddle fitter Julie Masters, of Masters Saddles, posted a picture on social media of her stall being blocked by a huge lorry.
She said that they had made the decision to close the stand at The Great British Farm-Fest.
âA very expensive mistake setting up and investing resources,â she said. âPhotos show the main shopping aisle and then us, blocked by a lorry.
âWe asked several times for the lorry to be moved but no joy. We are thousands of pounds out of pocket and they wonât give us a refund either.â

Saddle fitter Julie Masters, of Masters Saddles, posted a picture on social media of her stall being blocked by a huge lorry

Kaleb Cooper, left, Charlie Ireland, Lisa Hogan and Jeremy Clarkson at the opening of the first day of Farm Fest
The music festival and country fair was attended by 20,000 alone yesterday, with 55,000 expected to go over the weekend.
There are 12 arenas across the site where Clarkson took the stage alongside Kaleb Cooper.
Musical acts at the event include Alex James from Blur, 10cc, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and a DJ set by Groove Armada.
A spokesman for Jeremy Clarksonâs Great British Farm-Fest said: âWe have been working closely with traders at The Great British Farm-Fest to provide support during our inaugural weekend.
âWe are surprised that a handful of exhibitors, out of the 400 who attended, left the show within a few hours of the first day without experiencing an event that has attracted over 50,000 visitors.â


