Black Friday and Small Business Saturdaytm critical to independent business survival this year

Support with online shopping or curbside pick-up if in-person shopping isn't possible

TORONTO, Nov. 25, 2020 /CNW/ -  Eighty-six per cent of small businesses say that it is critical for small business survival that people make an extra effort to shop local this year, according to the latest survey data by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). CFIB has teamed up with American Express to hold Small Business Saturday on November 28th, between Black Friday on the 27th and Cyber Monday on the 30^th, and urges consumers to choose to shop small that weekend.  

"It's easy to default to big box stores and online giants on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But it's the independent stores in our neighbourhoods that really, really need a boost this year?their futures depend on it. We're asking consumers to help by making conscious choices this holiday season and maybe doing things a bit differently," said Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President at CFIB. "I've heard some commit to only shopping at small business this season. Others are looking online to support small businesses in parts of the country that are locked down again even if that's not where they live. If everyone makes an extra effort to support local more businesses will recover from the terrible hit they have taken."

According to CFIB's estimates, Canada could lose nearly 24,000 retailers and 30,000 hospitality businesses by the end of the pandemic. While Black Friday is the biggest shopping weekend of the year, two out of five small retailers say they typically see fewer customers than other weekends, suggesting shoppers are choosing big box stores.

Shop small to shop safe

The majority of businesses (79 per cent) have gone above and beyond provincial health guidelines and most (90 per cent) of those relying on in-store sales say they are easily able to limit the number of customers in store. Small businesses have also made an extra effort to serve customers in new ways with many having made the jump to eCommerce and 86 per cent per cent of those with a business model allowing alternative shopping options, like curbside pickup and delivery, offering one or all of the services.

"In some parts of the country, lockdowns are making in-person shopping impossible. Fortunately, there are lots of online and curbside options to support small businesses this holiday season and you can find ways to look for these small businesses at smallbizsaturday.ca. Let's unite in making an extra effort to support small businesses this weekend to make this critical time of year a little brighter for everyone," concluded Jones.

About Small Business Saturday
Positioned in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday (November 28) reminds Canadians to choose small, independent businesses in their neighbourhoods or online on this traditionally big shopping weekend. Small Business Saturday is brought to you by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and American Express and supported by eBay Canada. Visit smallbizsaturday.ca for more information.

Source for CFIB data
Preliminary results for COVID-19 recovery survey ? November 2020, online survey started November 20, 2020, n = 3,939. For comparison purposes, a probability sample with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of +/-1.6%, 19 times out of 20.

About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 110,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners' chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business