Brighton is gearing up for Small Business Saturday on 5 December 2015.
Small Business Saturday is a national event championing small traders and encouraging people to buy local goods and services. Brighton & Hove City Council is coordinating a range of activities to mark the day.
Council leader Warren Morgan says:
Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity to shine a light on independent businesses in Brighton & Hove and to support and celebrate the diversity, innovation and quality they bring to our city’s economy.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, and a big part of what makes our city so unique and so appealing as a place to shop and work.
I’m committed to the council supporting them through Small Business Saturday and year round, enabling them to grow effectively and drive economic growth across the city and the Greater Brighton City Region.”
The first weekend of December is traditionally a key shopping time when streets are buzzing with people seeking festive gifts.
Brighton & Hove City Council
Across the city, small businesses and traders will be celebrating this busy weekend with a range of extra activities to treat customers and encourage trade.
Here are a few examples of what’s happening in the city for this year’s Small Business Saturday.
Many local businesses are taking part in the council-backed initiative Goodmoney gift voucher scheme.
The gift vouchers are available from Brighton-based social enterprise Goodmoney CIC and can be used in a growing network of independent shops, cafes, restaurants, clubs, artists and many other businesses signed up to the scheme.
Details of where to buy vouchers and participating businesses can be found at www.goodmoney.co.uk
Hove Business Partnership, with support from Brighton & Hove City Council, is organising a competition for shoppers in Hove and Portslade.
Starting on Small Business Saturday and running until Monday 21 December, the “Christmas Gift Hunt” sees more than 30 shops taking part.
More information has been added to a Facebook event listing about the get together: www.facebook.com/events/1088895947801866/
In the city centre, American Express has installed a power-generating pavement along Meeting House Lane.
Shoppers walking down the pavement will make the Christmas lights shine and sparkle.
Power-generating pavement tiles, invented by tech start-up Pavegen, harness the kinetic energy of footsteps and convert it into renewable energy.
For one week, from Monday 30 November, the footsteps of an estimated 41,000 shoppers will light up 400 Christmas lights along the street.
The installation highlights the impact consumers can have by pounding the pavements of their local high streets and shopping small this festive season.
