‘Unique, exciting and radical’ – city’s small shops

MORE than most towns or cities, Brighton and Hove’s appeal is shaped by its small businesses.

In the North Laine a myriad of shops and stalls sell pungent leather, vintage clothes and Nepali slippers, The Lanes boast valuable jewellery, children’s sweets and high-end restaurants while the seafront has art galleries, fish and chips and ice cream.

Beyond retail, small enterprises make up 70% of all business, with 11,635 enterprises registered in the city.

To celebrate and support these businesses, Brighton and Hove is gearing up for its second Small Business Saturday.

The annual initiative encourages consumers to support local, independent businesses on what is usually the busiest shopping day before Christmas. This year the event on Saturday, December 6, will see special events including specially commissioned art installations at five locations and a trail of lanterns in the city centre.

These include the purple star pictured inset right.

Gavin Stewart, manager of Brilliant Brighton, the Business Improvement District (BID), which represents 340 shops, gave some insight into why the city is so popular.

He said: “One reason Brighton is such a popular shopping destination is because of the independent shops in the heart of the city. “Unique, exciting and radical, they embody the spirit of the city and create a shopping destination to rival some of the best towns and cities in the country.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of Brighton and are intrinsically linked to our success. But we can’t take that success for granted. “If we don’t support the small independents, the lone traders and the start-ups, our city would be a very different place indeed.

“This Saturday show the independent small businesses how much you care by leaving the internet alone and getting some hands-on customer service from some of our very own high street heroes.”

Enthusiasm for small businesses is not confined to the city centre.

In Fiveways, an influx of families looking for good schools have transformed the area, with a butchers, bakers, gift shops and cafes creating a village feel.

One retailer who has been part of the regeneration is Clair Letton, pictured left, owner of Wigwam Toys, who is leading Small Business Saturday events in the area.

She said people were supporting small businesses after becoming disillusioned with tax-avoiding multi-nationals.

She said: “Certainly there’s a big thing about supporting small businesses up here.

“The backlash against Amazon has left a bad taste in people’s mouth.

“Businesses are run by real people in the community and you can’t survive if the community doesn’t support you.”

As part of Small Business Saturday, Clair is offering local people without shops the opportunity to sell their creations at Wigwam.

She said: “Up here there are lots of makers, craftspeople or mums at home who don’t have an outlet for selling their creations. We’re offering them the chance to display what they do in a friendly environment “This year it is much more high profile, people more aware of it.”

Clair also helped set up the first Fiveways Traders Association with new businesses, many run by young mothers.

She said: “If we work together we can create a destination. People in Patcham and Woodingdean can come up here rather than go all the way into town.”

With traditional toys always a popular choice for children at Christmas, a toy for men that has enjoyed soaring popularity is bicycles.

Ben Daniel, of Freedom Bikes, in Kemp Town, is another retailer getting involved in the initiative, with American Express Card holders getting £5 credit for every £10 they spend in the shop.

He said: “In the run-up to Christmas it works really well for us. Amex is obviously a big employer in the city, and their offer is a big boost for us. It gets a lot of people through the door.

“There are a huge amount of cyclists out there, but not everyone can afford an expensive bike as a present, so we try and get items in that make nice affordable presents, like lights, locks and tools.”

Another big Christmas is food and speciality cheese merchant David Deaves, of La Cave à Fromage in Hove, has already experienced a festive lift.

David said: “This is the first year we’ve done it and it seems like a great initiative.

“Hopefully it will encourage people to shop at the small independents rather than supermarkets this year.

“What we call ‘the lift’ happened much earlier than anticipated this year.

“I think it will build and build up until the 17th when everyone gets their fresh produce for Christmas dinner.”

Another classic Christmas present, the humble book, is enjoying good sales, with independents such as City Books in Hove benefiting from the so-called Amazon effect.

Co-owner Paul Sweetman also said younger people were helping make books stores a success.

He said: “I would say Small Business Saturday brings a huge amount of people in who you wouldn’t otherwise see.

“Last time we had a guy spend £12,000 – he was getting taxis back and forth to get all his books home.

“The initiative encourages people to try shops they haven’t been to before.

“Independent booksellers are having a golden era because of the bad publicity around Amazon’s tax arrangements with a lot of people vowing to buy independent.

“And for young people it’s quite an exciting thing to go into a proper book shop. You hear the ‘wows’ as they smell the books.

“Particularly in Brighton we’re lucky people want to support independent shops.”

The Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, which carries out research on the city economy, said despite their ingenuity, small business still need help.

Executive director Tony Mernagh said: “Most places in the UK are dominated by small businesses employing fewer than 10 people. Brighton is no exception.

“The difference between ‘most places’ and Brighton is that the variety and quality of the small business far outstrips ‘most places’.

“Brighton for instance has the largest number of independent retailers on the south coast and very probably more than any town or city in the whole of the south east.

“Our small businesses are ingenious and light on their feet and have survived the recession remarkably well but they really need the public’s support. The public will find they are rewarded with great service.”

Mark Roper, head of merchant services UK at American Express, said: “American Express recognises the vital contribution small businesses make to the economy in Brighton and the UK, which is why we are delighted to support Small Business Saturday again and encourage people to shop small on December 6.”

City council flags up key role in attracting tourists

BRIGHTON and Hove City Council is also getting behind the initiative to champion independent retailers.

Council leader Jason Kitcat said: “The city attracts over nine million visitors a year and shopping is a key attraction. “The sheer volume and quality of our independent shops is what sets us apart from other destinations and the ethos of buying locally is something the council wholeheartedly supports. “Small Business Saturday is another way to champion our local businesses which contribute significantly to the local economy and help keep visitors flocking to the city year-round.”

Helpers from the council’s economic development team, the city’s tourism arm VisitBrighton, and Hove Business Association will be at Brighton, Hove and Portslade train stations to hand out city maps highlighting clusters of independent retailers in areas including London Road, Boundary Road in Portslade, George Street in Hove, the new West Pier Arches and The Lanes and North Laine.

Free car parking will also be available at five council-owned car parks on 6 December and four subsequent Sundays in the run-up to Christmas.

Meanwhile, the council’s Dressed for Success scheme offers 29 shops free one-to-one expert training in how to make the most of their window displays in the run up to Christmas.

And to drive footfall to Hove and Portslade, Hove Business Association (HBA) is running a festive Stamp’n’Win scheme where customers can collect stamps for each participating shop they visit, and completed cards can then be entered into a £500 cash prize draw.