Christmas shopping.

It simply has to happen, there's no getting away from it, and now is the time when it all ramps up and the retailers prepare for the onslaught of shoppers.

None more so than your local independent retailer - your high street heroes.

Why not support your local small businesses this year by getting involved in Small Business Saturday, this weekend (7th December). Small Business Saturday is all about encouraging everyone in the UK to support small businesses, not just on the day and also beyond.

Small business owners work incredibly hard, often rising at some early hour to go the wholesalers, bake the bread, open up the coffee shop or do 90 minutes of marketing that will keep their businesses going.

And yet, as a nation, we do not celebrate nearly enough what small businesses do.

Now's the chance!

Did you know that small businesses provide almost two thirds of the local private sector employment?
 
Thanks to Peter Bagatti’s 20+ years of hard work, 20+ families can pay their mortgage or rent at the end of each month.

Thanks to James McCarthy’s dedication and incredibly long hours, 20+ other local families have got an income coming in every month.

The list is endless…
They are all heroes of our times and we need to celebrate them!

So put the date in your diary and make sure you take the time to celebrate what our small businesses have to offer and show your appreciation on Saturday 7th December by using at least one more small business in Croydon than you otherwise would ... and then keep it going.

If you have an American Express credit card, there's an even great incentive for getting involved on Saturday.

Spend £10 or more on your Amex card (which must be registered on amexshopsmall.co.uk/register before Saturday 7th) at any small business participating in the event and Amex will give you a £5 statement credit - one per business, in as many places as you like. It literally is money for nothing! Visit amexshopsmall.co.uk/map to check which of your high street retailers are involved.

I'm already registered and looking forward to ticking off a few of my friends and family Christmas list items this weekend!

You all know how much we at thebestof Croydon support buying local, it's what we're all about, so we're delighted to give this very worthy event a huge shout out this week.

Don't miss out on this big day for small businesses.