November 29th is Small Business Saturday in Mayo
Pictured at the launch of Small Business Saturday in Mayo were, from left: John Magee, Head of Mayo Local Enterprise Office; Senator Mark Duffy, Deputy Rose Conway Walsh, Cllr Sean Carey, Cathaoirleach, Mayo Co Council; Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary; Deputy Keira Keogh, and Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive, Mayo County Council.
Saturday, November 29th, is Small Business Saturday, a campaign encouraging Mayo people to consciously choose to shop with businesses in their local town or village. Shopping locally allows us to boost local trade and commerce and reconnect with our local business community.
Small Business Saturday is both an awareness campaign and a call to action. According to PWC, the average Irish consumer spends €329 on the ‘Black Friday’ weekend, and up to half of this goes to overseas suppliers. This equates to €500m leaving the Irish economy over that weekend.
Small Business Saturday asks Mayo consumers to make a conscious choice to make local businesses their first port of call and to make a specific plan to spend some time browsing their local shops on November 29th.
Small Business Saturday is a new initiative of Mayo County Council and Mayo’s Chambers of Commerce, and it is hoped it may become an annual event that encourages shopping consciously, socially and locally. Every purchase of local goods/services helps sustain local jobs, families and communities. The end of November is also the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and it is hoped to spur consumers to find new and perhaps unexpected offerings from local businesses.
John Magee, Mayo County Council, said: “We are delighted to launch Small Business Saturday. Consumer shopping habits are changing and people are trying to shop consciously by being aware of sustainability, of fair trade and of the value of shopping to support the local economy within which they live."
Small Business Saturday is trying to nurture this trend, encouraging people to shop with businesses in their home area, either in person or online. Maybe get your friends together and make a day of it!
Visit your local shops, cafés, maybe a beautician, or go to the cinema with friends. Take the time to rediscover what local businesses can offer you and build your social connections with friends and business owners at the same time.
"This is not just an effort to boost local businesses, but an encouragement to connect with your friends and spend both time and money with businesses in your local town or village," said Mr Magee. "We’d love to hear from local people and would encourage people to post photos and tag us to show how Small Business Saturday played out in their local area. Use the tags #lovelocalshoplocal #smallbusinesssaturday."
