The ‘death of the high street’ has been the subject of many column inches in recent years. We’ve said farewell to high street titans including Woolworths and Comet, been through the mill with HMV, and the list of retailers that have gone into administration in the last couple of years is a sobering read.
It’s not all doom and gloom in our city centres, however. Figures out today reveal retailers enjoyed a bounceback in sales last month. The British Retail Consortium said that across all goods, sales were up 1.3% on a year ago in like-for-like terms in August.
However there’s little doubt that times remain challenging for small retailers. So all the more reason to celebrate the successes of independent shops and small businesses. And the Small Business Saturday campaign plans to do just that. The event, a national celebration of small business entrepreneurship, proves there’s plenty of life in your local thoroughfare yet.
Now in its second year, the UK’s dedicated day for SMEs, will fall on December 6. The countdown has already begun - 100 individual small businesses will be profiled online during the days leading up to the event, with a profile posted online each day by the Small Business Saturday organisers.
Organisers, who cite a “second album challenge” after a successful campaign last year, are aiming to increase the engagement of local authorities involved in Small Business Saturday from 40% in 2013 to 70%.
Michelle Ovens, the national campaign director, is hoping for an increase in overall consumer engagement, which stood at 48% in 2013 according to research by American Express.
Ovens, who runs her own strategy consultancy, says Small Business Saturday exists in order to “support, inspire and promote small businesses on the day and beyond.”
The original Small Business Saturday was held in America in 2010, and is sponsored by American Express. After growing rapidly it is now recognised as a national shopping holiday, an antidote to Black Friday.
As a campaign, Ovens says Small Business Saturday is “universally positive - we never say anything negative about big business - the world needs both.” She adds: “This is a long-term plan not a one year thing. It is about changing the way people think about small businesses.”
On the day, events will be taking place across the country, including entrepreneurial fairs, market fairs and light switch-ons, explains Ovens.
The Small Business 100 profiles are there to “celebrate the diversity of small businesses”, adds Ovens. They include enterprises from all over the country and a variety of business models. “It’s that celebration of brilliant stories we think is inspirational to small businesses.”
Nicola Mason, who runs Glasgow-based retail business Hey Sailor with her husband, is among the firms being profiled in the Small Business Saturday 100. Information about the business will be posted online, and Small Business Saturday will tweet extracts on the day it is featured. “The opportunity is amazing, especially as a small business just starting out. It is great having support in addition to your friends and family,” she says.
“It can be difficult when you don’t really know how to get your brand out there. This just gives us that bit more help and makes you feel involved - you get a sense of community.”
Mason is making plans for December 6, and says it is likely she will team up with other businesses to organise some pop-up shops.
Last year more than 200 MPs from across the political spectrum were involved in Small Business Saturday. This year the organisers are aiming for more than 300.
Speaking about this year’s campaign, prime minister David Cameron said: “I have the utmost admiration for the millions of people who run a small business in this country. They are making an enormous contribution to our economic recovery and their hard work and commitment embodies all that is great about the UK.”
According to research from last year’s event, 43% of shoppers chose to spend at their local high street specifically because of Small Business Saturday. And if organisers have their way, that figure could be even higher this year.
Are you doing anything to mark Small Business Saturday this year? We’d love to hear what is being planned for your area - join the discussion by leaving a comment in the thread below.
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