Members' Business — S6M-06414 Michelle Thomson: Small Business Saturday 2022

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the importance of the Small Business Saturday initiative that is taking place across Scotland and other parts of the UK, on 3 December 2022; understands that Small Business Saturday aims to promote the work of small businesses, highlight their positive impact on their communities throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis, and encourage people to shop local and recognise the value of small businesses within their communities across Scotland; notes that Small Business Saturday involves support for a range of SMEs, including self-run companies, family businesses, local community stores, small manufacturers, wholesalers, business services and online stores; further notes figures from the Scottish Parliament SPICe briefing, Scotland’s Business Base: Facts and Figures, showing that, in 2020, sole proprietors, owner-manager or employee director companies, mainly in the arts or education fields, accounted for 70% of the 364,310 private sector enterprises in Scotland and contributed 14% of employment in Scotland, and small businesses employing up to 49 employees accounted for 28% of all private sector enterprises and 29% of total employment in Scotland; considers that these figures show that the majority of enterprises in Scotland are small businesses; understands that the Small Business Saturday initiative is a grassroots campaign, which is in its 10th year and is sponsored in its efforts by American Express; congratulates the initiative on the work that it has done to support and recognise small businesses thus far, looks forward to the initiative's continued success in the future during what it sees as these uncertain and challenging times, and appreciates the work done across Scotland, including in the Falkirk East constituency, to support local small businesses.