The Small Firms Association (SFA) has called for 3 December 2016 to be named ‘Small Business Saturday’ as a bid to encourage shoppers to support local business.
The SFA and has called on shoppers across the country to support small businesses in their communities and to buy Irish produce wherever possible.
According to Linda Barry, Assistant Director, SFA,“The first Saturday of December is traditionally a busy shopping day and consumers should use this weekend as an opportunity to focus on buying Irish and supporting their local businesses, as the Christmas celebrations can add a major economic impetus to the country, to small businesses and help maintain jobs.”
As a lot of shoppers are migrating to online shopping and many are inclined to shop in larger stores to avail of good discounts, Barry highlights that if shoppers even spent an extra €20 this Christmas it would benefit the economy considerably.
Barry added, “Retail sales are expected to exceed €4 billion in December, but much of this will be spent in large stores or online. The latest figures show that the value of online purchases increased by 20% in the last quarter to €1.2 billion. If each adult spent just €20 extra in small businesses this Christmas, this would amount to an injection of over €70 million for small Irish firms and would have a huge, positive impact on local jobs and the vibrancy of town and village centres.”
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
