The Prime Minister hosts a festive street market to showcase British businesses | Daily News Byte

Downing Street was transformed into a festive street market to showcase businesses from all over the UK.

The Prime Minister was joined by the Chancellor as well as business and industry leaders and trade envoys to show their support for British industry.

12 companies from across the UK held stalls to promote their products and demonstrate how they have benefited from our independent trade policy by placing their products on the global market. For example, one of the stallholders – Wensleydale Creamery, based in the Prime Minister’s constituency in Yorkshire – has grown to employ more than 200 people and exports its cheese to 16 countries, including the US and Australia.

Another stallholder, Samosaco, based in Cardiff, sells across the UK and exports to markets in the Netherlands, Spain and Singapore. Birchall Tea, which also showcased its products today, is one of the largest exporters of East African tea in the world, buying and shipping millions of kilos of black tea every year.

The Small Business Saturday campaign is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Small Business Saturday is an annual grassroots campaign that encourages people to support small businesses in their communities.

Over the past decade, the government has provided free, fair support to more than 287,000 businesses through Growth Hubs, provided £12.2 billion worth of finance to high-potential small businesses to get ahead of the market, and provided nearly 99,000 start-up loans across the UK. Business Bank for New Entrepreneurs. Thousands of UK businesses have also signed up to the Export Academy and developed their knowledge of selling their products internationally.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

I am delighted to welcome these fantastic businesses to Downing Street, many of whom have inspiring and remarkable stories of how they have grown their businesses in the UK.

Businesses across the UK can be assured that this Government will always support them, particularly in these challenging economic times. We’re supporting businesses with £13.6bn worth of support over the next 5 years through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, with more support for businesses with their energy bills.

Having grown up in a family business, I know the transformative impact a small business can have on a local economy and community. So this Saturday, I encourage everyone to get behind their local businesses and invest in Britain.

A record 5.5 million small businesses registered in the UK by the start of 2022, providing jobs to 16.4 million people in the UK. But the government recognizes that businesses are facing significant pressures.

We are providing additional support for small businesses through the Supporting Small Business Scheme. 99% of UK businesses can also use the annual investment allowance to write off the full cost of any qualifying plant, machinery or equipment they buy now up to a permanent level of £1 million.

Later this week, the Business Secretary will set out more details on how we are protecting small businesses from late payments from big customers, which can damage their cash flow and expansion prospects.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:

Going to Christmas markets is a highlight of the year for many families. Along with the festivities, the event celebrates the millions of small businesses that are the backbone of our communities.

Whether you’re a butcher, cafe owner or hairdresser, this Government has set aside significant support on business rates and energy bills to help local companies survive today’s challenges and thrive.

After leaving the EU, we now sell our beef, lamb and poultry to Japan, beef to the Philippines, beef and lamb to the USA and pork to Mexico, Chile and Taiwan. This provides new opportunities for UK manufacturers and businesses to expand into the global market.

We have business and investment teams in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the North East, dedicated teams everywhere in the UK to ensure every business gets our full support. Exports will support high paying jobs and by sending our products overseas we will secure growth and jobs at home across the UK.

Last year we published our export strategy which will help businesses across the UK to double their exports and sell their world-class products around the world. The 12-point strategy gives businesses the tools they need to become a nation of exporters and reap the benefits of our free trade agreements.

Unlocking the UK’s export potential will help level up the country and boost the UK economy, with UK exports estimated to be bringing £748 billion to our economy in the twelve months to September 2022.

More details about street stall businesses are as follows:

• British Craft House (Hampshire): British Craft House is a platform where makers can sell their products. They sell gifts and handcrafted jewelery made by small independent businesses in the UK.

• Samosako (Wales): Samosako was started forty years ago by the Sandhu family in Canada, where they started selling samosas to their customers from their grocery store in Toronto. Now based in Cardiff, the business sells across Wales and the UK and exports to markets in the Netherlands, Spain, Singapore and soon to the UAE and Belgium. Some of their UK clients include Costco, Ocado, Morrisons and Tesco.

• Sandwick Bay Candles (Scotland): Sandwick Bay Candles makes handmade soy wax candles in Scotland. Megan McDonald, a mother of three, started making candles on her kitchen table in 2015 as gifts for her daughters’ teachers. The Megane decided to try a proper production run in February 2016 and sold 250 in its first month alone. Megan has moved her business to a small workshop on Stornoway where she is supported by 12 staff.

• Corgi Socks (Wales): Based in Ammanford, Corgi was founded in 1892. They have been making socks for the royal family for more than three decades. Last summer, Corgi also designed socks for the Wales football team.

• Tiny Box (East Sussex): The Tiny Box Company is the UK’s largest online gift packaging e-commerce company with over 1000 products and over 120,000 customers. Rachel Watkin started her company in 2007 and has grown from Tiny Box to a company of 90 employees and a turnover of around £10 million.

• Plum & Ashby (South East): Plum & Ashby was founded in 2014 by two friends, Vicky White and Freya Nicholson. Their products are made in the UK, mainly from glass with recyclable packaging. Their team is headquartered in Fareham, Hampshire and their range is available in over 400 stockists worldwide as well as online. They also have distributors in Norway, Taiwan and UAE.

• Salt Glass Studio (Norfolk): In 2011 Max Lamb and Dr. Founded by Fiona Wilkers, Salt Glass is a Norwich-based glass studio run by artists from the Royal College of Art and the Slade School, UCL. They use traditional processes from fusing, casting, glass blowing to create design wares and bespoke commissions and also run courses to the public throughout the year.

• Birchall Tea (Wiltshire): Birchall Tea is one of the largest exporters of East African tea in the world, buying and shipping millions of kilos of black tea from the continent every year. It has a trading office in East Africa and a tea factory in Wiltshire.

• Nearynogs (Northern Ireland): NearyNógs is Northern Ireland’s first bean to bar craft chocolate manufacturer and the oldest in Ireland. The chocolate factory has switched to solar power and all packaging is either made from recyclable materials, recyclable or biodegradable.

• Finnebrog Artisan (Northern Ireland): Finnebrog is one of the UK’s leading artisan food producers. It is a family-owned business based in County Down, Northern Ireland. The company produces premium meat and plant-based products. It is a key supplier to some of the UK and Ireland’s top supermarkets and has over 1200 staff.

• Wensleydale Creamery (Yorkshire): Wensleydale Creamery produces over 20 varieties of cheese and employs over 200 staff at its creamery in Hawes, North Yorkshire. Wensleydale Creamery exports to 16 countries including the USA and Australia.

• Fearless Academy (Manchester): The Fearless Academy provides coaching in digital skills with the aim of helping their employees as well as businesses interested in digital marketing. It aims to retrain and upskill 1000 persons by the end of 2025. There are currently funded courses in Greater Manchester and Liverpool and ambitions to launch across the UK in 2023. They are supported by the Greater Manchester and Liverpool Joint Authorities in delivering them. The Skills Bootcamp is part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee.