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Small stores are gearing up for one of their busiest Saturdays ahead of Christmas.
Small Business Saturday started after the 2008 financial crisis, led by firms like payments giant American Express, in an effort to rejuvenate independent stores.
It now acts as a counterweight to Black Friday, a sales bonanza which is held a week earlier and is largely focused on big brands like Amazon and chain stores like the supermarkets.
For Bardan Pradhan, from the Village Greengrocers in Charlton, London, it is a great time to reconnect with local shoppers.
Small Business Saturday “is one of our busiest periods of the year” he told The Independent as he prepares to sell Christmas trees, panettone, loaves of Christmas-spiced bread known as stollen and vegetables for dinner on the big day.
He concedes that the rise of online shops and the Black Friday sales they dominate has been hard for the high street.
“It’s killed some businesses but it’s made us think outside the box,” he said.
He will lure shoppers in to his own store with mulled wine and wine tastings, for example.
“There will always be growth in e-commerce but there is a strong, genuine demand for customers to have that interaction, that banter local shops provide, which is priceless.”
The government said it wants to help out small businesses with a new advice scheme called the Business Growth Service which will roll out in the new year to tackle the amount of time they spend on administration.
Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern MP said: “This Small Business Saturday let’s support the UK’s incredible small, independent firms.
“We are making sure small businesses have the skilled staff they need to grow and succeed through our Get Britain Working Plan.
“And if you are a small business owner, I encourage you to think about using our brilliant Jobcentres the next time you need to hire – we stand ready to help you recruit and find your next star employee.”
Founder of Small Business Britain Michelle Ovens CBE said: ” A thriving small business community leads to a thriving country, so we look forward to working with the Government to further develop this initiative in 2025.”