Support your local shop and prevent a chainstore massacre of the British high street

Nov 27, 2013 Peter Rabbit General News Comments Off on Support your local shop and prevent a chainstore massacre of the British high street

Mirror

By Jason Beattie

Local: MP Chuka Umunna

The UK version is the brainchild of the Shadow Business Secretary, Labour MP Chuka Umunna, but it has cross-party support

Get your purse, wallet or cash card ready and stand by for December 7 – it’s Britain’s first-ever Small Business Saturday.

It’s a day when every one of us is urged to support the nation’s five million small businesses by turning our backs on the big chains for a day to use local shops, local traders and eat at local restaurants.

The idea began in America three years ago to help small firms survive competition from bigger rivals.

It was a factor in boosting the turnover of small businesses by £3.5billion.

The UK version is the brainchild of the Shadow Business Secretary, Labour MP Chuka Umunna, but it has cross-party support.

Business Secretary Vince Cable is onside and Prime Minister David Cameron adds his support in the article below.

Says Mr Umunna: “I was on a bus in my constituency checking Twitter on my phone and saw people like Jessica Alba and Serena Williams and Barack Obama tweeting with the hashtag “smallbizsat”.

“So I Googled it and found it encouraged people to support their local stores on one day of a year. It seemed to me there was no reason not to do this in the UK. It was a total no-brainer.

“We are asking everyone to make a special effort to do their shopping and buy their goods and services from a small local, independent business. This is about backing your market traders, the white-van man, local plumbers, electricians and traders. It’s not just about shops. It’s about any small business. You could order something online from a local business. If you are going out for a meal, dine at a local restaurant rather than part of a chain. If your car needs fixing go to a local garage.