People in Teesside urged to 'shop local' this festive period
Today's Small Business Saturday
People in Teesside are being encouraged to 'shop local' as we head into the festive period.
Today is Small Business Saturday which is a campaign that aims to support, inspire and promote those independent stores.
Emily Bentley runs coffee shops in Middlesbrough and Stockton and she said: "They're our economic stalwart, SMEs rank as high employers in the North East, especially Teesside, so they need your support more than ever before. You need to make an extra effort to try and find those hidden gems and spend some Teesside pounds and keep it in the Teesside economy.
"Business has been like a rollercoaster in the last 12 months, it really has. With all of the different change of Government, announcements and more recently in the Budget, it really is a difficult time to be in business, especially as a small business in the hospitality sector.
"Shopping independently is a different shopping experience, especially if you become a regular at these smaller shops. You're not just a number but you become a name and even a friend. It's a completely different thing from going into a store where nobody actually really cares who you are. You're spending in there and that's fine.
"If you come in to let's say our coffee shop, you'll be asked if you're alright, you'll have some conversations and it's more of a friendly experience, because the people that are running that are often the business owners and they're bothered about who their customers are and about seeing them again.
"Personally this year I've made a concerted effect to only shop local where I can, so I would advise that other people think before they buy if there's a local retailer then have a look at what they do, have a conversation, go in and speak to them. You might find that you'll go back again and again.
"It's been such a hard year. Since Covid it hasn't got any better or easier. There's so many challenges. There's still the costs that are going up, the cost in wages, the cost in insurance, the cost in energy, the cost in supply chain and I think that's going to be a huge challenge going into 2025."