Small Business Saturday returned on December 3 – the tenth year of encouraging people to shop local and support small businesses in their communities, both on the day and beyond.

The grass-roots campaign began in the US and was conceived and promoted by American Express to complement “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday.”

Sheffield Council marked Small Business Saturday with a call to shop local and support small independent firms in the city to help them grow and become sustainable. Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh spoke to Cllr. Martin Smith, Chair Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee at Sheffield Council.

Smith said: “The turnover for small businesses in the UK is £1.6 trillion so it’s incredibly important for the UK economy and it deserves to get a much higher profile. They are part of the everyday fabric of our lives in a way that these big multinationals aren’t. They are part of the fabric of our city. Remember that these guys are part of your community and sometimes it is a case of use it or lose it.”