It is Small Business Saturday this weekend (on December 7th) and there is real optimism that it could provide a real boost to the coffers for many businesses across Northern Ireland.
The run up to Christmas is always a crucial time for many small businesses and this year will be no exception. Encouragingly, data from the Small Business Saturday campaign has revealed that 78% of consumers in NI are planning to spend more over the festive season than they did last year. This is far higher than the overall UK national average where only 26% are planning to spend more this year.
Important To Support Small Businesses
Nearly 90% of consumers surveyed here said that they believed it was important to support small businesses, especially at this time of the year, so hopefully the tills will be ringing from this weekend on right up to Christmas Day. It is estimated that across the UK there could be over £20 billion spent by households as they gear up for Christmas.
Small Business Saturday started up in the UK in 2013 and it has been a great help to small businesses, giving support and helping to promote them through events, promotions and collaborations etc.
Businesses Have Continuing Challenges
Talking about the importance of these businesses, Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK, is quoted as saying in an article on the Belfast Newsletter website:
“Public support is absolutely vital for small businesses across the UK, with many still fighting to recover from the cost-of-living crisis and deal with continued challenges like high costs and flat growth.
“With a major festive spending pot up for grabs this year, there is huge opportunity out there for small businesses. And it is really encouraging to see such positive public sentiment across Northern Ireland. We need this to continue as it really will make all the difference to helping small firms across Northern Ireland stay in business and keep delivering their incredible value across our economy, society and local communities.”
Small businesses in our towns and cities are part of the glue that holds our communities together and they are sometimes taken for granted. Support for them at this time of the year is crucial for their future sustainability, so I think we can all do our part in shopping locally and spending some of our hard earned cash at these establishments. The big conglomerates can look after themselves but these local businesses rely on us and I am sure everyone will play their part.
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