Member Article

Small Business Saturday UK bus tour announced

Small Business Saturday UK – the annual campaign that puts small, independent businesses in communities across the country in the national spotlight – has announced it is taking to the road again with a nationwide promotional bus tour to raise the profile of the campaign and the day itself, Saturday December 3rd.

Using the theme “Small Business, Big Difference”, the A-B bus tour will begin on Monday 24th October in Aberdeen and will conclude in Bournemouth on Friday 25th November. The bus tour, which aims to promote the campaign to both consumers and small business owners around the UK, will also host workshops and seminars at its daily destinations. The bus tour will visit the east and west coasts of the UK, as well as crossing the Irish Sea for three stops in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the announcement of the bus tour, Small Business Saturday National Campaign Director, Michelle Ovens says:

“Small Business Saturday is not just a campaign to raise awareness of our diverse and innovative small business sector, but also a vehicle from which small businesses who embrace make use of the campaign can derive tangible benefit. The bus tour is a very visible way for us to meet small businesses around the UK and show them how they can become involved as well as drumming up consumer interest, support and enthusiasm. We are really looking forward to welcoming small business owners and consumers to the bus to get information and find out ways in which they can support small businesses and make the day work most effectively for companies in their own communities.”

The full itinerary for the bus tour is as follows:

Week One

October 24th Aberdeen

October 25th Edinburgh

October 26th Stirling

October 27th Strabane & Coleraine

October 28th Ballymena

Week Two

October 31st Carlisle

November 1st Durham

November 2nd Helmsley & Boroughbridge

November 3rd Manchester

November 4th Grimsby

Week Three

November 7th Derby & Burton

November 8th Birmingham

November 9th Aberystwyth

November 10th Denbigh

November 11th Chester

Week Four

November 14th Carterton & Thame

November 15th Cambridge

November 16th Southend

November 17th London

November 18th Tonbridge

Week Five

November 21st Newquay

November 22nd Exeter

November 23rd Swansea

November 24th Bath

November 25th Bournemouth

Now in its fourth year Small Business Saturday is already the UK’s most successful small business campaign. Last year an estimated £623 million was spent with small businesses across the UK on the day – up £119 million on last year and an increase in spending of 24%. The day itself also generated huge buzz on social media with Small Business Saturday trending at number one on Twitter. Over 100,000 tweets were sent in support of Small Business Saturday on the day itself with a combined reach of more than 25 million people. An estimated 75% of all local authorities actively supported the campaign on the day in a variety of ways, from staging or supporting small business events to offering free parking.

Small Business Saturday, which is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010 and it remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small. The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation. The campaign is also supported by PRS For Music, TalkTalk Business, Vistaprint, Post Office, Clear Channel and STIHL.

Logos, digital banners, a social media guide and toolkits will be available to download from the website www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and can be displayed online or on premises. Businesses around the country can also upload information to the ‘My Small Business Finder’ on the website (www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com) on what special events or promotional offers they will be running for Small Business Saturday.

More information on Small Business Saturday can also be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page (www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk) and Twitter feed (@SmallBizSatUk).

Ends.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Howard Robinson .