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Will You Support Small Business Saturday?

Photo by Arthur Franklin on Unsplash

The first Saturday in December is always designated to Small Business Saturday. This is a day when we should all support small local businesses rather than the big nationals.

This year Small Business Saturday takes place on 2 December 2023.

Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities.

Photo by Didier Provost on Unsplash

Launched in 2013, the day itself takes place on the first Saturday in December each year, but with an impact that lasts all year round.

Small Business Saturday celebrates the huge contribution that small businesses make to the British economy and their local communities having started in the UK in 2013, but the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses.

On Small Business Saturday, customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, online, in offices and in stores. Many small businesses take part in the day by hosting events and offering discounts.

Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK said:
“Small Business Saturday has supported the UK’s entrepreneurs for over a decade. This year’s programme will really help small businesses as they tackle huge challenges due to the cost-of-living crisis, and encourage a more optimistic look to the future.”

History of Small Business Saturday

Created by American Express, the first Small Business Saturday started in the US back in 2010, at a time when the world was recovering from the financial crisis. After seeing the success of the American Small Business Saturday, the UK adopted their own version in 2013.

Now in its eleventh year in the UK, the campaign has grown significantly year on year encouraging millions to shop small.

The ethos at the heart of the Small Business Saturday campaign has remained: to promote small businesses at the heart of the holiday season and to help this invaluable sector of the economy grow and thrive.

Dan Edelman, General Manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express said:
“This year’s SmallBiz100 once again showcases the incredible vibrancy and vitality at the heart of the nation’s small businesses, which contribute so much to local communities across the UK.

“We’re proud to champion them and the entrepreneurs running these businesses through our ongoing support of Small Business Saturday, and by incentivising our Cardmembers to spend with them all year round. As we move into the second decade of this vital campaign, we look forward to continuing to celebrate small businesses and those running them."

Small Business Saturday is now thought to be one of the busiest weekends of the year, along with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as it is the first Saturday in the UK after payday for most people and so encourages everyone to start their Christmas shopping.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Christmas gifts that are sustainable are a big trend and lots of us this year are thinking about buying Christmas presents more thoughtfully so as to avoid waste.

So with Christmas fast approaching why don't we support our small businesses by shopping locally in the streets and markets of our villages, towns and cities otherwise our local high street might disappear forever.

For more information click here

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