Small Business Saturday – Shop Local urges Deeside AM.

Assembly Member Carl Sargeant is encouraging people in his constituency to support their local shops on Small Business Saturday.

The Alyn and Deeside AM, who is based in Connah’s Quay High Street, is urging shoppers to spend money on their own doorstep.

“Small businesses make a massive economic and social contribution to our communities and I urge people to support them.

“Shopping locally, on Small Business Saturday and beyond, helps money stay in our local economy and sustain our high streets. Our town and village centres are vital social hubs giving people of all ages a place to meet and chat” said Mr Sargeant.

The small business sector employs half a million people in Wales through more than 220,000 companies.

Last year’s Small Business Saturday which across the UK boosted sales by a quarter with £623m going through the tills.

The Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns has thrown his weight behind today’s Small Business Saturday, he said:

“I always try to shop on my local high street and use traders in the area. From butchers to bakers, fashion shops to fine arts, we all rely on small traders to provide colour and choice.

Wherever you live in Wales, I encourage you to go out this Saturday and explore the fantastic variety of local businesses you find on your doorstep. That visit to a boutique you pass by may yield a great bargain and support a local job.”

“I always try to shop on my local high street” says Alun Cairns

Welsh Conservatives are calling for a Small Business Charter to support Wales’ smallest firms. The calls come on Small Business Saturday, a campaign to highlight small business success and to encourage consumers to ‘shop local’.

Shadow Economy Secretary, Russell George, is urging the Welsh Government to deliver the tax cut they promised small firms during the Assembly elections, and to take steps to help small firms access public procurement contracts.

The Welsh Conservatives are today calling on the Labour Government to implement a small business charter to support the lifeblood of the Welsh economy:

– Abolish business rates for all small businesses and taper relief on rateable values between £12,000 to £15,000
– Guarantee and prioritise better access to the public procurement process for small business in Wales
– Deliver universal super-fast broadband and mobile coverage across Wales by 2019
– Devolve key economic levers to local communities and ensure easier access to finance
– Promote free town centre parking

Shadow Economy Secretary, Russell George, said:

“Small Business Saturday is a wonderful opportunity to champion the key role played by small Welsh firms, and that’s why we are calling on the Welsh Labour Government to take steps to support them.

“Businesses have been hammered by Labour’s business rate betrayal, and many will have woken up this morning wondering what happened to the tax cuts they were promised in May.

“The Welsh Government has an opportunity to put things right, and our Small Business Charter contains a number of practical measures to boost SMEs and improve footfall on our beleaguered high streets.

“Whilst Small Business Saturday should be about celebration, we also need to reflect on the current climate for small Welsh firms.

“The impact of the recent rate revaluations has been devastating for many small Welsh firms, and it’s clear that many could go bust without additional support.

“The Welsh Labour Government has to play its part, clearly, but we can also do our bit to support small firms by shopping locally this weekend”.

The Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said:

“As the Party of small businesses, Welsh Conservatives have long highlighted the key role they play in the Welsh economy and that’s why we continue to press the Welsh Labour Government to take steps to better support them.

“Small and medium sized businesses make up 99% of all Welsh firms and if every one were to take on a single additional employee, unemployment in Wales could be wiped out overnight.

“In contrast to the UK Government, who have put small businesses at the very top of their agenda, we are hugely concerned about Labour’s failure to establish a level playing field for small businesses in Wales.”