Small Business Saturday UK – the annual campaign that puts small businesses across the country in the national spotlight is encouraging independent furniture makers to get involved on Saturday 3rd December.
Commenting on the initiative, Small Business Saturday national campaign director Michelle Ovens says: “Independent furniture manufacturers play a huge role in the UK small business sector and the identities of their respective local communities. Recent ONS business population statistics indicate the total turnover of small and micro-sized furniture makers has increased an enormous 85% this year compared to last – which is testament to the health of the sector. On another positive note, the same data shows that there are 55 additional small and micro-sized furniture manufacturers operating now than there was in 2015.
“Across the last few years, small furniture business owners have been an integral part of our campaign and we are looking forward to seeing even more great independents getting involved in the upcoming months.”
Small businesses should visit www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and click ‘Get Involved’ to send off for (or download and print) free marketing packs which include posters and window stickers. Also available on the website are digital logos, banners, a social media guide and various toolkits. Businesses around the country can also upload information to the ‘My Small Business Finder’ on the website to highlight what special events or promotional offers they will be running for Small Business Saturday.
“Small Business Saturday is not just a campaign to raise awareness of our incredible small business sector and the people behind it, but also a way for small businesses who embrace it to genuinely generate income. There are so many ways for furniture business owners to get involved in the campaign, from offering unique one-day offers to customers or creating a special Small Business Saturday product. Business owners can also collaborate with other companies harnessing the initiative – in the past local referral promotions have been particularly effective,” Michelle explains.
The campaign team is set to embark on a five week, 29-stop bus tour spanning the UK - starting in Aberdeen on 24th October and culminating in Bournemouth on 25th November. The bus tour, which aims to promote the campaign to both consumers and small business owners around the UK, will also host workshops and seminars at its daily destinations.
Michelle adds: “The bus tour is a very visible way for us to meet small businesses around the UK and show them how they can become involved as well as drumming up consumer interest, support and enthusiasm.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming small business owners and consumers to the bus to get information and find out ways in which they can support small businesses and make the day work most effectively for companies in their own communities.”
Now in its fourth year, Small Business Saturday is already one of the UK's most successful small business campaigns. Last year an estimated £623m was spent with small businesses across the UK on the day – up £119m on last year and an increase in spending of 24%.
The day itself also generated huge buzz on social media with Small Business Saturday trending at number one on Twitter. Over 100,000 tweets were sent in support of Small Business Saturday on the day itself with a combined reach of more than 25 million people. An estimated 75% of all local authorities actively supported the campaign on the day in a variety of ways, from staging or supporting small business events to offering free parking.
Small Business Saturday, which is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, was originally founded by American Express in the US in 2010 and it remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small. The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation. The campaign is also supported by PRS For Music, TalkTalk Business, Vistaprint, Post Office, Clear Channel and STIHL.
More information on Small Business Saturday can also be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page (www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk) and Twitter feed (@SmallBizSatUk).
