Small Business Saturday: Shoppers urged to support local firms in run-up to Christmas
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Shoppers told it’s ‘vital’ they do one thing ahead of Christmas
- Small Business Saturday, an annual initiative originating in the US, takes place this weekend on 6 December, encouraging shoppers to support local firms.
- The event is projected to boost small businesses by £5.3 billion this year, representing one-fifth of the UK's pre-Christmas spending, a 19 per cent increase from last year.
- Last year, approximately 10 million people spent £634 million in-store and online during Small Business Saturday, demonstrating continued public support for local enterprises.
- Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK, highlighted the event's importance in helping small businesses thrive after deep discounting events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute 99.8 per cent of all UK private companies and account for 60 per cent of UK employment, underscoring their vital role in the economy.