It was a great honour and surprise to open up an email from the team over at Small Business Saturday inviting us as part of their SmallBiz100 Alumni to a reception at No.11 Downing Street.
Only a year before we were privileged to be 1 of 100 businesses invited to a reception at No.10 Downing Street to celebrate small business here in the UK which was a huge accolade.
It was a fantastic event and a chance to meet up with some other amazing businesses from all different backgrounds. We heard from and met Rt Hon Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer who I manged to chat to about Secret Hamper and our #NHS70 initiative. We also got to hear from the Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, who in a previous role was instrumental in brining the Small Business Saturday initiative from the USA to the UK.
Whilst we were there we took the opportunity to leave the PM with a copy of Jason Vale’s new book, Create Magic. We thought it may help give her some inspiration with Brexit negotiation’s!
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities.
The day itself takes place on the first Saturday in December each year, but the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses.
On Small Business Saturday, customers across the U.K go out and support all types of small businesses, online, in offices and in stores. Many small businesses take part in the day by hosting events and offering discounts.
An estimated £812 million was spent in small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, according to research* commissioned by founder and principal supporter American Express. This was up from the £748 million spent on Small Business Saturday last year, with 59% of people aware of the day saying they spent more than usual.
Support for the campaign came from 90% of local councils – a three per cent increase on 2017 – calling for the nation to shop local and support the 5.6 million small businesses across the country.
Positive consumer sentiment and support for small businesses on a local level was echoed through national government, with the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mayor of London all supporting the campaign.
Small Business Saturday also drew high engagement on social media. Tweets sent on the day reached more than 100 million people, with #SmallBizSatUK and #SmallBusinessSaturday trending in the UK’s top 5 throughout the day. Facebook and Instagram posts were also up on 2017, with more people sharing their Small Business Saturday stories.