Small Business Saturday has confirmed plans to mark its ten year milestone anniversary with a special celebratory roadshow aimed at putting the nation’s most loved independents on the map. Business owners across the country are being encouraged to sign up, with the campaign kicking off in Glasgow on 31 October, finishing in London in the run up to Small Business Saturday on 3 December.
The campaign will shine a spotlight on small firms in every corner of the UK, with the tour visiting over 20 towns and cities this Autumn, alongside a digital programme of support and mentoring. Alongside the physical roadshow, the campaign will also offer a jam packed daily schedule of online content – including free workshops and mentoring covering a vast range of relevant topics, as well as interviews with small businesses and experts.
“Small Business Saturday has always been about supporting and celebrating the UK’s fantastic entrepreneurs, and never has this been more important as they face a barrage of challenges this winter,” states Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK. “We can’t wait to get back on the road with ‘The Tour’, to spotlight these brilliant and unique small businesses, while also offering them vital support in-person and online.”
With sustainability and energy saving high on the agenda for small firms, ‘The Tour’ will, once again, feature a fleet of electric and zero emissions vehicles that reflect the sustainable switches many small business owners are making in their daily lives, while also highlighting the vital role small firms play in the race to net zero.
The Small Business Saturday tour will visit the following UK locations:
- Monday 31 October Glasgow
- Tuesday 1 November Fife
- Wednesday 2 November Edinburgh
- Thursday 3 November Belfast
- Friday 4 November Wirral
- Monday 7 November Manchester
- Tuesday 8 November Helmsley
- Wednesday 9 November York
- Thursday 10 November Grimsby
- Friday 11 November Derby
- Monday 15 November Cambridge
- Tuesday 16 November Birmingham
- Wednesday 17 November Hereford
- Thursday 18 November Merthyr Tydfil
- Friday 19 November Cardiff
- Monday 22 November Padstow
- Tuesday 23 November Exeter
- Wednesday 24 November Southampton
- Thursday 25 November Brighton
- Friday 26 November Leighton Buzzard
- Monday 29 November Walthamstow
- Tuesday 30 November Aldgate
- Wednesday 1 December Brixton
“Once again small businesses are facing another challenging year and having to think strategically in order to succeed,” comments Chris Sims, BT’s managing director for its SoHo (Single/Small office, Home office) unit.
“Earlier this year we launched a new customer charter with a commitment to step up free digital skills training for small businesses and working with partners such as Small Business Saturday on initiatives like The Tour an important route to deliver this. It’s a brilliant way for small businesses across the country to gain support in digital skills and grow their capability for the future. We’re delighted to be supporting The Tour again this year.”
Small Business Saturday, whose principal supporter is American Express, is a non-commercial campaign, which celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support businesses in their communities.
Visit smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com
Top: An electric fleet of vehicles will be touring the UK to mark the tenth anniversary of the Small Business Saturday campaign.
