Shopping bags in hand, West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris hit the high street to back Small Business Saturday, the national campaign to give local shops a much-needed slice of fortune. The Metro Mayor visited Crumbs of Keynsham as part of the day.
Now in its ninth year, Small Business Saturday is a grass-roots campaign that encourages people to shop locally and support small businesses in the local community.
Across the West of England there are over 30,000 businesses employing under ten staff. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, small and medium enterprises make up 99% of the business population in the UK.
This Small Business Saturday organisers are once again asking people to ‘shop local’ and to share a ‘big thank you’ with small firms to recognise their vital role throughout the pandemic. It is estimated that a huge £1.1 billion was spent with small businesses on Small Business Saturday last year.
The Mayor chatted to the Crumbs team about the challenges of the last 18 months before sampling some tasty cake.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “Small businesses like Crumbs here in Keynsham, and across the West of England are the beating heart of our communities. They do so much to enrich our lives and our communities across our region. But they’ve faced huge challenges due to the pandemic, so this year it is more important than ever to get behind this campaign. One thing that makes high street’s in our region so amazing is that mix of independent and quirky shops and cafes. Let’s keep it that way. So please support your local shops as you do your Christmas shopping (wearing a mask of course), get your hair cut or pop into a cafe. The best thing you can do this Christmas is to shop, give and eat local.”