CFIB expands #SmallBusinessEveryDay campaign with launch of its Big Thank You contest
Today marks the first day of Small Business Week, but the context is a lot less celebratory this year as small businesses face one of the biggest crises in decades and recovery remains a long way off, according to the latest data on the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)’s Small Business Recovery Dashboard:
- 72 per cent of businesses are fully open (compared to 70 per cent last month)
- 48 per cent are fully staffed (compared to 42 per cent last month)
- 30 per cent are making normal sales (compared to 30 per cent last month).
“Small Business Week is typically an opportunity to celebrate the local businesses that make our communities great: the barbershop that always gets your hair just right, the independent grocer that sponsors your kid’s hockey team, and the print shop down the street that gave you your first job,” said Laura Jones, Executive Vice-President at CFIB. “This year, the stakes are much higher—small businesses have been pummelled by months of closures and restrictions, many have had to lay off valued staff, and sales remain dangerously low. They need our support now more than ever.”
Many businesses rely on the upcoming holiday season to end the year in the black, but more than half are concerned that consumer spending will remain low even after the COVID-19 crisis. CFIB encourages Canadians to support their independent businesses during Small Business Week and in the months to come by choosing to shop local whenever possible.
Launch of new Big Thank You contest for #SmallBusinessEveryDay
To encourage business owners and consumers to support each other heading into the holidays, CFIB is launching the Big Thank You contest as part of its #SmallBusinessEveryDay campaign. The contest is sponsored by eBay Canada, Scotiabank and Mastercard. Consumers can enter to win one of six Big Thank You boxes that include $500 cash to spend at a local business by sending a thank you message to their favourite business at smallbusinesseveryday.ca. The business that was nominated by the draw winner will also win a Big Thank You box, including a $2,500 cash prize.*
To highlight the unique products small businesses have to offer, CFIB has included a treat from a small business from every province and territory in each box, including chocolate-covered potato chips from Cows in PEI, liquid cake batter from Jenna Rae Cakes in Manitoba, and pillow spray from Walrus Home in BC. The contest will run for the next six weeks, with one draw per week.
“The Big Thank You is our way of shining a light on the mutual gratitude that has helped so many small businesses and their customers feel supported during the pandemic,” added Jones. “There is a growing movement of Canadians rallying around their favourite independent businesses. As we’re heading into the holiday season, we would like to see the movement grow even bigger.”
