Louisiana To Celebrate Small Business Saturday On November 26

BATON ROUGE, La. ­– On Saturday, November 26, Louisiana will join a national movement in celebrating Small Business Saturday, to recognize the strength, value and importance imparted by locally owned small businesses to their communities and the state.

In Louisiana, small businesses make up over 97 percent of the state’s employers. More than 903,000 Louisiana residents are employed by small businesses, collectively accounting for 53 percent of all private-sector jobs in the state.

“Our small businesses are the backbone of Louisiana’s economy, and it is important that we acknowledge the tremendous contributions these small business owners and their staffs make throughout the year,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards. “During the holiday shopping season that launches this weekend, it is particularly important that we encourage all Louisiana residents to participate in Small Business Saturday and patronize Louisiana’s small businesses. Participation in Small Business Saturday is a heartfelt way to thank our small businesses for all they do to support our state and our people.”

Scheduled between the holiday shopping trends of “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday,” the Small Business Saturday observation also follows Thanksgiving and gives Louisiana residents an appropriate time and place to give special thanks and patronage to the state’s small businesses.

“The majority of jobs in Louisiana come from our small businesses, and we encourage people to support their friends, neighbors and fellow Louisianans by shopping at our small businesses,” said Secretary Don Pierson of Louisiana Economic Development. “Participating in Small Business Saturday is one way to ensure that the dollars earned by Louisianans can remain within the state and support Louisiana’s competitive local economies.”

According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 135.8 million shoppers made consumer purchases during Thanksgiving weekend in 2015. Such retail activity supports the more than 603,000 retail jobs in Louisiana. Additionally, Small Business Saturday encourages shoppers to make a larger percentage of their purchases at locally owned, independent business, thus helping those enterprises thrive in a competitive economy.