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Small Business Saturday hailed as success

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Umunna and the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, paid a surprise visit to Croydon on
Saturday, the south London borough that was devastated during the 2012 riots
has a high density of small businesses.

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, toured his local constituency, stopping
in at Twickenham Fine Ales. The independent brewery, which was founded in
2004, has undergone massive expansion this year, opening its first shop on
Mereway Road last month. The enterprise minister, Matthew Hancock, met
shop-keepers in central London. “Small Business Saturday is part of the
changing culture towards enterprise in the UK,” he said. “A record number of
new businesses started this year. There’s a vibrancy around enterprise in
the UK now. This is an exciting time.”

Hancock is keen to carry on the momentum of Small Business Saturday. “We will
do this every year,” he said. “It’s a very simple call to action, which is
also fun and practical.”

The enterprise minister also announced his intention to create a further
shopping day to support small businesses in the summer. “In the US,
Independence Day has also become a time to celebrate independent
businesses,” he said. “Last year, I went to a street stall in Lambeth. It
happened in the UK in quite a small way, but this year we’ll make more of
it.”

According to Umunna, the initiative has renewed people’s interest in local
shops. “The demise of the high street is not just about retail, it’s about
not being able to get goods locally. When people see boarded up shops they
really feel that.”

The initiative, backed by a third of all local authorities, comes as research
from the credit card company American Express, which is backing the scheme,
revealed that in December only £1 in every £20 will be spent in an
independent shop.

Nottinghamshire County Council provided free parking, shoppers in Liverpool
tested complimentary two-hour parking permits, while scores of towns across
the country turned on Christmas lights or organised festive markets.

Manchester Photographic – the biggest photography school in the UK – scheduled
a two-week exhibition of previously unseen photos of Britpop band Oasis,
running special discounts on lessons and products to extend the benefits of
the day.

Andrew Hill, who founded Manchester Photographic three years ago, said:
“Anything that highlights small businesses is a good thing – from smaller
businesses larger things grow.” The gallery will turnover over £200,000 this
year.

Small Business Saturday was not just focused on bricks and mortar businesses.

E-commerce retailer NotontheHighStreet.com forecast a 15pc increase in visits
to its site, which showcases hundreds of small, independent designers and
suppliers. Founder and CEO Holly Tucker said: “Small Business Saturday is
something consumers and small business alike can celebrate and get behind.”

Umunna said: “Big and small retailers have gone under, but John Lewis and
Argos are succeeding by integrating online and in-store. We have the third
largest online retail market and we need to help small businesses grasp the
internet and innovation.”

The City of York Council embraced technology and turned the Merchant
Adventurers’ Hall into a pop-up shopping centre, with 45 stalls. Exhibiting
technology company iZettle issued all traders with complimentary devices
that allowed customers to pay via smartphone or iPad.

FireStarToys.com is an online only micro business based in Herefordshire that
sells ranges of Lego mini-figures and parts, and customised figurines.

In the weeks leading up to Small Business Saturday the company took to social
media, offereing a 10pc discount code, with £1 from every purchase going to
a local charity.

For Ella Riley Sweets, a family sweetshop and manufacturer in Bridgend, Wales,
Small Business Saturday kicked off Christmas with one of their storytelling
days hosted with the local library. “Last night we invited other small
producers to sell their own wares in our shop by candlelight,” said owner
Freya Sykes.

A recent study from the discounts website Groupon found that 71pc of consumers
want to see more independent businesses on their high street, but a
combination of high rents, business rates, parking costs and online shopping
stands in the way.

Last month, Umunna warned that business rates are contributing to the death of
local high streets.

Labour has also committed to cutting business rates for small companies
coupled with an increase in corporation tax that bigger firms pay on their
profits.

But the purpose of Small Business Saturday was not to harm larger businesses,
Umunna said. “We have to find a balance, a way for the two to co-exist
peacefully.”


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