I will always support small businesses, and I mentioned why and how I will do this as your local MP when I visited the Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce small business event this week.
The event also brought to the discussion the emergence of AI and I enjoyed talking with small business owners, some of whom were confident and others curious about how AI will safely and securely make their small business more efficient.
I am pleased to know that after the recent Autumn Statement, when I talk to small business owners they are eager to learn that under a Conservative government, our small businesses are doing better off with the announcements, which are listed in my article here: How the Autumn Statement helps UXSR | Steve Tuckwell (steve-tuckwell.uk)
I recently also visited the Amazon MP Drop-In in Parliament and I was pleased to hear their stats; More than 100,000 UK small business sell on amazon, selling more than 1,800 products every minute in 2022, which sold more than 950 million!
Small businesses can export to 22 global Amazon stores. More than half of businesses on Amazon sell their products to customers around the world recording more than £3.3 billion in export sales in 2022. Those businesses recorded 50% of their sales to customers outside of Europe.
Amazon has various programmes to help small businesses and start ups such as: Amazon Sustainability Accelerator, Amazon Innovation Accelerator, and Amazon Launchpad, Amazon Lending, Amazon Business, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), and Intellectual Property (IP) registration and protection tools.
This year Amazon also released the creation of more than 750 apprenticeships outside of Amazon in 250 small businesses across England. This aligns with the Conservative government plan to really increase apprenticeship opportunity in the UK.
I will continue to support our local businesses and their growth and expansion helped by larger companies such as Amazon, and innovations such as AI.