In Only Fools & Horses, Trotter's Independent Traders is the name of a business. What are they independent of?
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This is a term which is loosely used to describe small businesses that are solely or family-owned and which aren't part of a larger group of companies or franchise-holder.
Independent Trader of the Year Award Criteria: Your business is eligible to enter if it’s independently owned and not a franchise
Most small businesses in the UK fit into this general category, but tend to use their method of incorporation as part of their business name (e.g. "Ltd", "Partners", etc) to demonstrate their legitimacy.
Since Trotters Independent Trading is an unincorporated entity, they can't call themselves Trotters Trading Ltd without placing themselves at significant risk of being charged with fraud or risking their personal assets when their latest deal goes south.
There have been suggestions that the name (TIT) is a bacronym, but the show's writer claims that it was merely a lucky happenstance.
Initially, Jason thought that Sullivan had created the gag deliberately, inventing the company name and its abbreviation to be "exploited later".
Sullivan later admitted that the gag was purely unintentional. He said he had thought up the name, Trotters Independent Traders, had it painted on the battered old van - and then noticed it spelt "TIT".
"I wondered if anyone else noticed," he admitted, pointing it out to director Ray Butt. However, the director thought it was a "great idea", according to Sullivan, who added, "I'd love to say it was a deliberate idea - but it wasn't!"
Solent Plastics: The history of TIT: Trotters Independent Traders
The joke is largely lost on Del Boy, but not young Rodney.
