Damian's latest monthly column in the Petersfield Post highlights the critical contribution made by small businesses and retailers to local towns and villages.
LOCAL RETAILERS ARE SO CRUCIAL TO THE TOWN
The phenomenon of Black Friday has once again been and gone for this year, swiftly followed by Cyber Monday and the start of a prolonged sales period right up to Christmas and beyond.
What began life in the US as a kick start to seasonal shopping the day after Thanksgiving, has grown into an extraordinary worldwide shopping binge. We can all remember the pictures of near riot conditions in some of the major retail stores last year, with people fighting over widescreen TV’s and games consoles.
So, what happened this year? Interestingly, Asda chose to withdraw itself completely from the event and other major retailers were better prepared for the shopping frenzy. The difference came with a real shift to online shopping, with internet sales predicted to break through the £1 billion mark for the first time in the UK. Amazon reportedly sold 7.4 million items on Black Friday alone – their biggest sales day in the UK ever.
The event wasn’t without detractors. Social media was busy with ‘anti-shopping’ campaigns, appealing to those that found the hype and promotion overwhelming. There were other campaigns offering various antidotes, with #givingtuesday being one that gained good visibility; encouraging generosity and the giving to others through donations as well as personal time.
But in so many ways, the more significant ‘name day’ for me was Small Business Saturday; celebrated the following weekend. I had the privilege to visit a number of newly opened shops that day and I was once again struck by the sheer courage, determination and entrepreneurship of the many small businesses across our communities.
It takes guts to start a new venture, even in good trading conditions, and it’s these enterprises that are the beating heart of our economy. From the conversations I have had, it seems high street trading is still tough but improving and there has been a significant rise in employment by small businesses; increasing by over 1,600,000 in the last five years. Measures like the extension of small business rate relief and the employment allowance have helped but it is mostly down to traders finding a niche and servicing it well.
The internet and sales events such as Black Friday present challenges for high street businesses but they also offer opportunity. Traders are becoming very adept at using websites and social media to promote their businesses and to keep in contact with customers and this will become increasingly important. The need to remain fresh and distinctive requires a great deal of effort but for many proprietors I meet that is part of the joy of running their own business; the freedom to make their own decisions.
People will continue to demand and enjoy the convenience of buying online and the near-permanent sales culture that accompanies that is probably here to stay, but the experience and intimacy of visiting a local shop, handpicking your items and building a relationship with owners and their staff will always have its place; making time to shop locally is invariably rewarded with great personal service and, in many instances, a choice of goods that is hard to beat online.
Importantly, these shops and businesses are a critical part of our communities, and Petersfield is a great example of that. It is the independent traders that give the town its unique character, making it a great place to live or visit.
As we head into the festive sales season, I hope people will take advantage of all that is on offer locally in the town. It only remains for me to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.