Nuneaton MP, Marcus Jones, has given his backing to Small Business Saturday and recently welcomed Apprentice star and renowned businesswoman, Karren Brady, to the town to conduct a whistle-stop tour of small businesses to promote the day.

The MP has previously sponsored an Early Day Motion (EDM) supporting Small Business Saturday, which is planned for Saturday 7 December.  Marcus, who is also the Conservative’s Small Business Ambassador for the Midlands, signed the EDM following the significant success of the initiative in the United States, backed by President Barack Obama, when 100 million Americans spent $5.5bn.

On Friday 29 November, Karren Brady visited the town and met with a number of small businesses, including Haswell’s Shoes, Bostocks Butchers, Leakes Jewellers and Alan Cooper’s estate agent, as part of her role in compiling a report for the Chancellor, George Osborne, to further support small business.

Commenting, Marcus said: “Small Business Saturday was a huge success in America and I can see no reason why that success cannot be replicated here in the UK.

“In my role as an MP and as Small Business Ambassador I have had the privilege of meeting with many local businesses in Nuneaton and wider afield and they are at the heart of local communities. Small Business Saturday is about urging people to support our local businesses.

“Small businesses deserve our support all year round, but particularly during that critical Christmas period when the convenience of shopping online can seem very attractive when everyone is so busy.

“I was delighted to welcome Karren to Nuneaton and I hope that the businesses she met with found it to be a worthwhile experience. Her report to the Chancellor should make for interesting reading as we’re all keen to do what we can do further support small businesses up and down the country.”