Day Highlights Success And Importance Of SMEs To UK Economy

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are being encouraged to get behind the second annual Small Business Saturday on December 6th 2014.

The event aims to celebrate the nation's most innovative organisations and encourage people to shop in their local stores or use nearby services as opposed to relying on big brands all the time.

Last year, leading business organisations including the Association of City and Town Management, Association of Convenience Stores, Ingenious Britain and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) all added their support to the initiative and it is hoped many more will get behind it for 2014.

To get involved, SME owners can visit the Small Business Saturday website and download a digital pack or organise to have one sent to them by post. The packs contain posters and resources designed to help them make the most of the event.

There are also dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages, with companies potentially able to get a social media mention if they let the organisers know about their plans in good time.

Expert Opinion

Small Business Saturday is a superb initiative and was very successful last year, indeed over £460m was spent in small businesses during the day and 40% of local authorities got behind it. <br/> <br/>"The Government has long-held views that the strong performance of SMEs is key to the economic recovery, so it is likely that this year’s initiative will get a very strong push in terms of awareness. <br/> <br/>"Irwin Mitchell is right behind Small Business Saturday, however, we also think it is vital that this campaign does not boil down to purely a day of using small business services, but is instead the beginning of a continued effort to understand and appreciate what these businesses offer." <br/> Steven Beahan - Partner