Starting a business which is in direct competition to another

[ForMashGetSmash]

Is it bad or is it a normal part of life? I want to begin selling a niche product and as far as I can work out there is only one competitior in the UK. What happens? The product is a specific magazine...is it fair game or could they accuse me of stealing their idea?

I have had the idea for some time now and it was only through research that I realised there was someone already at it...quite succesfully too but as far as I can see they are sticking to a particular corner of the country.

I am not out to take their current clients...just to establish my own. I do think I will be able to do things cheaper than them though.

Any thoughts or advice please?

Most companies are in direct competition with each other, aren't they?

Virgin / Sky / BT, etc as one example.

It's called choice. Go for it.

You can't patent an idea in the UK, as far as i know, so as long as you are not passing yourself off as another business or are not infringing the patent on someone else's technology, then it's fair game. Simple competition. You can even go for their customers too, as long as you don't have some kind of non-compete agreement with them.