Small Business Saturday coming to Southend

December 11, 2017 by Southend Borough Council

Southend-on-Sea businesses are invited to celebrate Small Business Saturday on Saturday 2 December, as part of a national campaign which is designed to encourage shoppers to buy local.

Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages shoppers to buy products from local, small businesses.

In support of this event, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is offering free car parking all day in the following local car parks: llfracombe Avenue, North Road, Hamlet Court Road, Elm Road (Leigh-on-Sea), North Street, Ceylon Road and Thorpe Bay Broadway.

Small businesses can also take part in the ‘Best Festive Business’ Christmas competition, which launches on Small Business Saturday. All you need to do is decorate your business fit for Christmas and send a picture via email to economicd@southend.gov.uk/ and ask your customers to vote for your window by going to the Visit Southend website and voting on the comments section. By voting customers will be entered into a competition to win an afternoon tea for two at The Royal Hotel including a glass of Prosecco to the value of £53.

An overall business winner will be selected and will win a free promotional video which can be used to promote your business, which will be produced and donated by Blatella Productions.

On top of the overall winner, six secondary winners will be selected (one from each of the following areas: Westcliff, Thorpe Bay & Shoeburyness, Southend, Southchurch, Leigh-on-Sea and Eastwood). Each winner will receive two vouchers for a cream tea at the Gleneagles Guesthouse.

Cllr Ann Holland, Executive Councillor for Culture, Tourism and the Economy, said: “There are an incredible amount of small and independent businesses in Southend, competing on a daily basis with the big name brands.

“Small Business Saturday is a great day and provides us all with an opportunity to embrace our communities, support small businesses and shop local.. I hope many of our local businesses will also get involved in Best Festive business and encourage their customers to vote for them.”

To find out more about the day, please visit https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/