BIZL

Commercial Finance Specialists

Another bumper year for Small Business Saturday

by Josh Greenway

Saturday 2nd December 2017 marked Small Business Saturday’s 5th birthday in the UK, and local authorities, small business organisations and the public offered huge support, reaffirming its importance as a key day for retailers in the run up to Christmas.

In a recent article by smallbusiness.co.uk, Michelle Ovens MBE, campaign director of Small Business Saturday says:

‘In its fifth year, Small Business Saturday has once again seen a boost in spending with Britain’s small independent businesses. There’s been a phenomenal response from small businesses in communities across the UK again this year so it’s fantastic that a record amount was spent with them this Small Business Saturday.’

Let’s take a look at some of the key highlights from the American Express commissioned survey:

  • An estimated £748 million was spent with small businesses across the UK on the day. This was an increase of 4% on Small Business Saturday last year.
  • Over 115,000 #SmallBizSatUK tweets were sent on the day itself reaching more than 115 million people.
  • #SmallBizSatUK trended at number one in the UK.
  • More than 250 small business organisations supported the nationwide initiative, including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation.

Overall, it was a nationwide effort with the public, local authorities and small businesses working together to promote our small businesses across the country.

  • Towns offered free public parking on the day with local authority backing up from 80% in 2016 to 87% this year.
  • Small businesses clubbed together to host events in their areas, whilst the Small Business Saturday UK bus tour made its way around the UK.
  • The public spent big too with 56% of shoppers aware of the day saying they spent more than usual.

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