Negotiates terms to achieve local profits (8)
I believe the answer is:
bargains
'negotiates terms' is the definition.
'bargains' can be an answer for 'negotiates' (bargaining is a kind of negotiating). I'm unsure of the 'terms' bit.
'local profits' is the wordplay.
'local' becomes 'bar' (one's local pub).
'profits' becomes 'gains' ('gain' can be a synonym of 'profit').
'bar'+'gains'='BARGAINS'
'to achieve' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bargains that I've seen before include "Goods procured cheaply at sale" , "Haggles over price" , "They're cheap at the price, as in sales" , "Special offers" , "Advantageous purchases" .)