Paul Barnett, Director of ICUK, met with Chancellor George Osborne and MPs Matthew Hancock and Chuka Umunna as Small Business Saturday came to the UK for the first time last week.
Paul said: “It was such an honour to attend and represent ICUK. We hope that Small Business Saturday was a success for others as it was us, and we look forward to the initiative building over the next year.”
ICUK won a coveted place in the Small Business Saturday 100 club which saw them promoted for one day in a countdown to the day itself.
The Small Business Saturday initiative encourages people to use local or small businesses with a big push on December 7th, traditionally the first Christmas shopping day.
This is the first time the scheme has run in the UK, after four successful years in the USA. American Express run the event on both sides of the pond, and shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna was a key player in its introduction to the UK.
There are around 1.7 million small businesses (a business with 11-50 members of staff) which account for 53% of all employment in the UK.
Small Business Saturday was hailed as a success across the UK and even saw Labour leader Ed Miliband visit shops across Croydon.
ICUK has given its backing to Small Business Saturday as well as other small businesses with a series of articles on their blog including tips on starting up as a reseller.