Why supporting small UK businesses matters

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According to the statistics from the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, there are 5.9 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK. SMEs employ more than 16.6 million people and turnover almost £2.2 trillion.

These businesses account for 60% of private-sector employment and 52% of turnover. In other words, SMEs are big business for the UK and its economy. In spite of political and economic concerns, the number of SMEs in the UK has increased by 200k since 2018, with London experiencing the most significant growth.

City Relay is a small but growing London-based property management business and we believe it’s important to work with and support other SMEs in the UK. Whether it’s providing services, procuring supplies or entering into mutually agreeable commercial agreements, we aim to partner with and champion small businesses in the UK.

As a small business, you have to work harder than your bigger, better-known competitors to win business and continually delight clients and partners to retain them. You can’t rely on your brand name to open doors or throw money at your sales and marketing efforts. You need to punch above your weight by earning yourself a reputation as being reliable, socially responsible, great value for money and capable of delivering an A-grade service or product.

In our experience, working with a small specialist company is preferable to partnering with one of the big players as you get a more personal service. Your business, feedback and success are more important to an SME, and they’ll work harder for you as a result.

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We have sought out small and, where possible, local partners helping their businesses to flourish alongside ours from specialist technology providers to 100% organic, sustainable tea makers. As part of our mission to become a fully sustainable business, we choose ethical and eco-friendly supply chain partners that provide exceptional products and services for our clients, hosts and guests.

Just a few examples of the small businesses we work with include; ethical chocolatiers, Doisy & Dam; apartment management provider, Italianflat, organic tea makers, Joe’s Tea Company; award-winning proptech pioneers, Lavanda; bed, bath and table linen brand, Richard Haworth.

As a business that prides itself on providing a first-class service, we don’t compromise on quality. It doesn’t pay to penny pinch and cut corners when you’ve worked hard to build a reputation based on delivering an excellent service.

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