Britain’s 100 most impressive small businesses have been announced by the Small Business Saturday campaign, as it kicks off its call for the public to support small firms in the community and shop small.
This year’s SmallBiz100 showcases the best of Britain’s vibrant small business community, highlighted as part of the 100-day countdown to Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is set to return on 2 December 2023, with a mission to support and celebrate the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses.
Portsmouth-based family-run manufacturer ‘Chilli Mash’, which works with local farmers in Rwanda to grow chillies for condiments, is one of the businesses featured in this year’s line-up which also includes:
- beau mobile - quirky beauty salon based in a caravan in North Wales.
- Cool Crutches & Sticks – Harrogate company selling stylish, silent, comfortable crutches. Set-up after co-founder was injured in an accident.
- ePay Merchant Services Ltd – disruptive payment solutions for small businesses, based in Ellesmere Port.
- Makers Department – small design studio based in Hackney supporting early-stage ideas through to design for manufacture.
- Piccolo Mondo – family-run pizzeria based in Dorset, set up over 40 years ago.
- Rumsey’s Handmade Chocolates – artisan chocolate company, making award-winning chocolates for retail and wholesale in Buckinghamshire.
- So Good Kombucha - natural kombucha handcrafted in Derbyshire.
- Talbot Jones Ltd - Gateshead chartered insurance brokerage supporting charities, social enterprises and small businesses to manage risk.
- The Butchers & Deli Monkstown - Northern Ireland community butcher and deli
- WildStrong – Outdoor group movement classes in Fife, Scotland.
Amelia Peckham, founder of Cool Crutches & Sticks said: “We are so excited to be one of this year’s Small Biz 100! As a female founded family business that started as a result of personal experience, we know the impact community has on the survival and growth of small businesses so having support from Small Business Saturday is incredible. Being included in such a positive initiative that celebrates diverse entrepreneurship at its finest is absolutely fantastic for us as founders, our team but also our business too!”
As the campaign moves into its second decade in the UK organisers are stressing the need for ongoing support from the support for small businesses, as they face serious challenges from the cost-of-living crisis, on top of prolonged challenges.
“The fantastic small businesses featured in this year’s SmallBiz100 sum up the phenomenal contribution that small firms make to our economy and local communities,” said Michelle Ovens CBE, Director of Small Business Saturday UK.
“It continues to be really tough out there in the economy for small businesses, so there is a huge need to celebrate our incredible small business economy and throw our arms around them. Small Business Saturday remains a critical and powerful way for the public to do this.”
Small Business Saturday is the UK’s most successful small business campaign, which takes place each year on the first weekend in December, celebrating small businesses and encouraging consumers to shop small and support businesses in their communities.
Natt Boarer, founder of Chilli Mash said: “We are absolutely over the moon to be recognised as part of Small Business Saturday’s Small Biz 100. It's wonderful to be part of a campaign that is truly championing the work of small businesses across the country.”
The grassroots non-commercial campaign was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010 and the brand remains the principal supporter of Small Business Saturday in the UK.
The most recent SME Barometer research from American Express and Small Business Saturday reported that over a third (35%) of small businesses are finding it is increasingly hard to run a small business, and 82% feel there needs to be more celebration of entrepreneurship.
Yet despite the challenging trading environment that many small businesses still face, almost two thirds (64%) are defying the odds and forecast that business performance in the final quarter of 2023 will be better than the previous two years.
On Small Business Saturday, customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, from independent shops and restaurants to small service and b2b based businesses like accountants and plumbers. Many small businesses take an active role in promoting the day by hosting events and offering promotions.
Since the UK campaign started in 2013, the campaign has reached millions of people and seen billions spent with small businesses on the day itself, with an impact that lasts all year.
Last year the campaign trended at number one in the UK on X (formerly Twitter), with the Prime Minister, leader of the opposition and the Mayor of London among those publicly supporting the campaign. Over 90% of local councils also supported the campaign.
Dan Edelman, General Manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express said: “This year’s SmallBiz100 once again showcases the incredible vibrancy and vitality at the heart of the nation’s small businesses, which contribute so much to local communities across the UK.
“We’re proud to champion them and the entrepreneurs running these businesses through our ongoing support of Small Business Saturday, and by incentivising our Cardmembers to spend with them all year round. As we move into the second decade of this vital campaign, we look forward to continuing to celebrate small businesses and those running them.”
To learn more Small Business Saturday’s SmallBiz100 visit - https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/small-biz-100
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