Small Business Saturday: ‘We’ve now got a clear sight as to what Northampton’s future looks like’

This annual day, which has been running for more than a decade, celebrates the creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and contributions that small businesses make to their communities – in the hope of encouraging you to shop local in the run up to Christmas.

The Chronicle & Echo will be counting down to Small Business Saturday on December 7 by giving a platform to some of the unique businesses at the heart of our town.

Last Monday (November 18), the Small Business Saturday tour visited Northampton. As one of just 20-or-so locations across the country to be visited, we have already formed an important part of this national campaign.

Kickstarting our coverage is Mark Mullen, who joined the Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) five years ago as operations manager.

Town centre businesses pay a BID levy each year, which is pooled into a collective pot and used to deliver events, initiatives and projects.

The aim of the BID is to continue defining, developing and promoting the town centre’s identity, and reflecting its strengths, heritage and vibrancy – which they hope generates pride for businesses, residents and visitors alike.

Talking about the importance of an initiative like Small Business Saturday, Mark said that nurturing pipeline retail is essential for encouraging businesses to come to the town – and more importantly being successful here.

“The more that businesses succeed, expand, grow and reinvest, it creates more opportunities for everything else,” he said. “It also creates a bigger destination for the town to be able to offer things you wouldn’t typically find in other towns.”

Mark was asked what he would say to the people of Northampton, to encourage them to visit and support their favourite small businesses on December 7.

He said: “Christmas is a really important time for any retailer, and the retailers refer to it as the golden quarter. The success of that golden quarter really dictates the future and whether they can afford to continue.

“It’s a point in time where we like to showcase the small independents we’ve got and the offer they bring to the town – but really it’s a plea for the residents and community, as part of their Christmas plans and preparations, to make considerations as to where they can make those purchases from.”

Mark reiterated that it may be easy to sit behind a computer at home and order all your gifts, but this does not support our businesses nor “future proof the town”.

Though Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are close together, they could not be more different – and BID wants to get across that we should keep money in the town all year round.

‘The future was just plans on a piece of piece, they were dreams and ambitions’

Having been in his role for half a decade, Mark was asked how he has seen the town centre business community evolve throughout this time.

“At that point in time, the future was just plans on a piece of paper – they were dreams and ambitions,” he said, referencing the ongoing regeneration works.

“Without being too critical, I think from a resident’s point of view, it was the same old plans, the same old visions, the same old promise that had never come into fruition in the past – and a really high level of scepticism as to are these actually going to materialise again in the future?

“Over that period of five years, hopefully people are in a position to be able to see now that yes they are and we’ve been through a really important time.

“We’ve now got a clear sight as to what Northampton’s future looks like and we’re seeing astronomical levels of interest in the town now. We are now at a point where we can start to draw some of the fruits from that labour.”

Mark believes it is the “resilience and commitment” of our town’s businesses that we should be most proud of – especially as they have faced the pandemic, interest rate crises and lower spending as a result of decreased household economies.

“It’s a real celebration of those businesses that are here, and have been for those five years during the significant period of change,” he said, praising their creativity, innovation and deviation from traditions to navigate the challenges posed.

“Collectively, the small business offer in Northampton continues to grow from strength to strength.”

When asked his hopes for the future of the town’s business scene, Mark spoke of his optimism for the demolition of the former M&S and BHS sites – as well as works to begin on Stack.

“Each of these projects individually have perhaps been the most significant thing that’s happened in Northampton for the last 10 years,” he continued. “Collectively, this is a complete game changer.”

Though the town has received millions from central government, Mark said if you tot up individual private sector investments, around half a billion pounds is being injected into Northampton.

Join us tomorrow as we will continue to count down to Small Business Saturday by spotlighting some of the amazing independents at the heart of Northampton.