Guaranteed to be less frantic than Black Friday, and more old-fashioned than Cyber Monday, the next date on the retail calendar is coming up at the end of this week — Small Business Saturday is on 1 December.

The Government has supported this campaign for the past six years as it aims to promote the value of small business to local communities as well as the economy. It is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to “shop local” and support small businesses in their communities.

A Small Business Saturday bus tour has seen a coach travelling across the UK over the last few weeks, calling at 30 towns and cities to advertise the big day.

Further supporting the scheme, the Government has provided a small business finder at https://bit.ly/2eUnPqp which allows customers to find a butcher, a baker or whichever service they need by adding their location to the search box.

The dedicated website states: “We want all kinds of small businesses to get involved, so know that whether you are a family business, local shop, online business, wholesaler, business service or small manufacturer, Small Business Saturday is supporting you.”

With many councils offering free parking on the day, Small Business Saturday 2017 was the most successful campaign yet with an estimated £748 million spent on the day.

Over 115,000 tweets were sent on the day, reaching more than 115 million people, with #SmallBizSatUK trending at number one.