Scotland's Economy

Shop local this Christmas

December 6, 2019 by kristenmcnicoll No Comments | Category Business

Shoppers are being urged to buy local this festive season ahead of Small Business Saturday.

Business Minister Jamie Hepburn is championing the work of more than 350,000 small businesses in Scotland by encouraging people to support local firms when doing their Christmas shopping.

Mr Hepburn said:

“Small businesses are the backbone of the Scottish economy, providing 1.2 million jobs across the country.

“Small Business Saturday provides the perfect opportunity to support these businesses by kick-starting your Christmas shopping locally. From designers, manufacturers and florists to cafes, butchers and bakers, Scotland has a vast array of independent retailers with fantastic products.

“In fact, our food and drink industry is the second-largest contributor to Scotland’s economy, with our landscape and climate ensuring world-renowned food is produced right here on our doorstep.

“Across a variety of sectors, entrepreneurs are keeping our local economies vibrant and that is why the Scottish Government is working to ensure small businesses are able to grow through initiatives like the Small Business Bonus Scheme and the Digital Development Loan.”

Background

In 2018-19, the Small Business Bonus scheme provided £254 million of business rates relief to 119,400 companies, helping to support small businesses to grow.

Small and medium-sized businesses can access up to £100,000 in funding through the Digital Development loan to improve their digital capability and their workforce’s digital skills. They can also benefit from the DigitalBoost programme which offers expert advice.

Every year Scotland produces enough wheat to produce 237 loaves of bread per person and enough oats to provide 647 bowls of porridge.

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