Small firms in Liverpool have emphasised the importance of shopping local, as well as speaking out to detail whether the current economic climate is affecting them.
It comes ahead of Small Business Saturday taking place this weekend, a grassroots, non-commercial campaign highlighting success of SMEs, and encouraging consumers to shop local.
Last year, Liverpool’s small retailers earned £89 million in sales revenue in December 2018 - nearly 40% more than the monthly average for the rest of the year.
That was thanks in part to Small Business Saturday, which takes place on the first weekend of the month.
And this year, they are hoping to better that figure.
On Friday, two small popular retailers in Liverpool had their say on hopes for the day, Christmas sales and what effect, if any, the current economic and political uncertainty is having.
Vickie Anderson, founder of the Liverpool Cheese Company in Woolton, emphasised the importance to firms like hers of shopping local.
The store is one of the top ten cheese shops in Britain, and home to over 200 farmhouse cheeses.
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She said: "As far as shopping small goes, I think it makes obvious good sense to support your local community and invest your hard earned cash in the local economy.
"Along the way you get to engage with your neighbours, meet new people, try before you buy and minimise your environmental impact."
Speaking about Small Business Saturday, she said: "We appreciate anything that encourages people to shop small and local. For us there is the added issue of provenance - much of our cheese is sourced directly from small farms and dairies and most of it has never seen a piece of plastic or been in an airplane.
"Myself and my team have met many of the cows who produce the milk and the cheesemakers - there is nothing we like more than meeting a new customer, telling them our stories and encouraging them to enjoy the delights of farmhouse cheese."
The economic climate is "not of major significance" to the firm, as Vickie explained: "People love cheese and it is what the Americans call “an affordable luxury."
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"For just a few pounds, you can buy something truly delightful.
"This [Christmas] we are seeing a mix of people cutting back and those wanting to splash out. It is important for us that we have products to suit all budgets. We also do very well with tickets and vouchers for our Cheese School because it offers that little bit extra that people want for a night out.
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"My Christmas hopes and aspirations include world peace, to keep the famous Christmas Cheese queue down to less than two hours and a day off on December 25.
"But more seriously, I'm just happy to spread the word about real cheese and introduce more people to the joys of visiting our shop - and it is a joy, everyone says so."
Vip Byatt is director of Bean Coffee, whose headquarters are based at Brunswick Business Park.
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Vip said small businesses are under increasing pressure to address concerns from packaging to where the coffee is sourced.
He said: “Christmas is all about planning. Every year we have a new Christmas menu which include festive food and drinks. Overall, it can be an unpredictable time, but we prepare by making sure all of our shops are fully staffed with passionate people and ready for the Christmas rush - we hope!"
Bean has shops all across the 海角视频, including in Liverpool.
“To me, small business is about adapting to the changing habits of consumers.
"Yes, you need to deliver great service, value and quality. But today, customers want more in terms of what we’re doing for the environment.
"Packing, ingredients, allergies, coffee sourcing and waste are all key areas of development for us. To remain competitive, small businesses must address more consumer concerns which do come with a cost.
"But at the same time, our customers appreciate what we’re trying to do.”
Both firms last year accessed finance from Funding Circle - a small business lending platform, which facilitated £22m in loans to Liverpool’s small businesses last year.
According to the firm, small retailers in Liverpool that accessed finance through Funding Circle contributed more than £208,000 to local GDP, unlocking 30 retail jobs.