Black Pound Day, the movement supporting black-owned businesses in Britain, is opening its first permanent store in London.
The Black Pound Day campaign was launched in 2020 by So Solid Crew’s DJ Swiss and is aimed at supporting the growth of the UK’s black economy. It falls on the first Saturday of each month and encourages people to spend locally or online with black-owned companies.
The initiative has also developed an online directory of more than 1,500 businesses.
The new store, in Westfield shopping centre, is opening on June 25 and will sell products from more than 80 black-owned businesses, including haircare, homeware, clothing and beauty products.
The shop will offer a “department store-like experience” for shoppers and will sell new and established brands, including items from Dragons’ Den winner March Muses, which makes handmade decorations, cards and gifts.
DJ Swiss said launching the pop-up store in 2021 had “totally exceeded” expectations - and left the team with “no choice” but to establish a permanent shop.
“Glancing back to when we launched our pop up store in 2021’s Black History Month, it was a momentous achievement," he said.
"For those that participated, you could feel the energy shift, how we brought black retail therapy to the high street, resulting in a mass feeling of reward, which was unprecedented. We really showed how impactful our spending power is."
DJ Swiss added: "We are so excited to be in a position to create this opportunity to bring the best of our homegrown black brands to the general high street consumer, ensuring sustainability and consistency all year round.”
Black Pound Day is currently running a national survey for black-owned businesses to gather fresh data and research about their needs and experiences.
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