Nearly half of small business owners think the UK’s Small Business Saturday (SBS) is a positive move, but are anxious the public will not buck the supermarket trend according to a survey by XLN Business Services.
The survey of 549 entrepreneurs voices the concerns of the SME community who are calling on the general public to boycott the supermarket giants for a day and shop local on the UK’s first small Business Saturday on December 7th. Of those business owners who took part in the survey, when asked “Do you think if a monthly ‘Small Business Saturday’ was introduced in the UK, it would encourage people to shop in small businesses at the weekend?” 47% said the introduction of SBS was a great idea, but are worried the public will not support them. Furthermore, 42% said it was a fantastic opportunity to put small businesses on the map and boost sales.
The annual Small Business Saturday is already bringing in $5.5bn-a-year (£3.4bn) across the pond in the US after its launch in 2010 and this Saturday 7th December sees it head to the UK. It aims to promote ‘buying local’ and American Express are supporting the campaign alongside small business to encourage the public to shop with smaller businesses on the busiest retail day of the year.
CEO and Founder of XLN Business Services commented: “Far too frequently, the hard work of small businesses does not get the attention it deserves. This is why a small business Saturday is such a brilliant idea. If I had my way I would make every Saturday a Small Business Saturday.” He continued: “We all like the diversity of a vibrant high street; the butcher, the baker, the fishmonger and so on rather than the big supermarkets, but we can’t have that unless we’re willing to support it. It’s not always a more expensive option as people may think and they provide a personal touch that larger companies just can’t provide. We should support them every day of the week.” For full results of the survey, please see: October Q3 2013 Survey
