Small Business Saturday

On Saturday 7th December I was pleased to support Small Business Saturday in collaboration with Marsha De Cordova - MP for Battersea, Jo Rigby - Wandsworth Councillor and High Streets Champion, and Karim Fahei, CEO of London Chamber of Commerce.

It was fantastic to visit some of the local independent businesses along Battersea High Street and hear from the Business Owners who shared their inspiring stories and experiences of running a small business.

Wandsworth has many brilliant small independent businesses across the borough so I’m glad that we could collaborate to support this incredibly important campaign. I’d encourage people to ‘shop local’ and support as much as possible not just on Small Business Saturday but throughout the year.

Beverley Corson CEO Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce

Battersea is home to hundreds of fantastic independent shops, restaurants and pubs that serve our community. Indeed, small and microbusinesses make up 98.9% of Wandsworth firms.

That’s why it was great to be out and about on Battersea High Street for Small Business Saturday, meeting some of our hard-working business owners and shining a light on the sector.

Small Business Saturday is a grassroots campaign that encourages customers to go out and support all types of small businesses, with billions spent since starting. I am proud to have supported the initiative in Battersea since becoming an MP in 2017.

This year, I was pleased to welcome London Chamber of Commerce CEO, Karim Fahei, along with Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce, and introduce them to some of our brilliant local entrepreneurs.

We first paid a visit to Reyes Coffee & Brunch, who are still new to the High Street, and have already settled in well, offering smoothies, bagels and brunch every morning. Due to the success of their Clapham Old Town shop, Reyes expanded into Battersea – and the future looks bright for them here too.

When we had our hot drinks, we braved the rain and headed over to the wonderful Jack & Beyond cake shop for some homemade mince pies (with the filling made in store!) and spoke to staff about their preparations for the busy Christmas season.

Next, we visited Evelina, the owner of Ellie’s Hair Bar, who shared her inspiring story of becoming a hairdresser despite huge obstacles. She struggled to get a hair apprenticeship at the start of her career and eventually was taken on at the Hair Bar. She went onto flourish –she is now the proud owner of the business and was nominated for a Wandsworth Women’s Enterprise Day Awards last year.

To finish, I stopped off at Raynsford’s Greengrocer, a local gem I’m sure everyone in Battersea is familiar with. I caught up with the owners of this family-run establishment, which has been running for over 100 years. A critical reminder that our oldest businesses are as essential to the community as newcomers.

Small Business Saturday 2024 proved once again that local businesses contribute to making Battersea the best place to live and work. I took pride in showing the Chamber of Commerce the joy and character small firms bring to the area and I was pleased to recommit my support to their commerce for 2025.

MP Marsha De Cordova

Thank