As part of Small Business Saturday, 11 of our PJEA learners took to Leicester Market to set up their own pop-up stalls. Keen to keep on practicing their buying, selling and display skills this was infact the third time learners had taken their businesses to the public.
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities. The day itself takes place on the first Saturday in December each year, but the campaign aims to have a lasting impact on small businesses.
They will be showcasing their final business ideas at the Leicester College Open Day in June, so it’s great to see their commitment to the course and following the PJEAphilosophy of ‘learning by doing’.
They sold a variety of fantastic products across the three different stalls, with ‘Frostbites’ concentrating on cakes and beautifully packaged bon bons. The aptly names ‘Santa Paws’ stall selling Christmas dog treats. And finally ‘Darpan’s Delights’ with their selection of vegetarian curry, including an unusual brussel sprouts curry!
The event was organised in conjunction with Leicester Market who are keen to work with young people and promote fresh new talent on their patch, which is music to our ears.
Adam Pietrowski, Development Manager at Leicester Market said “It was great to get young people onto the market with a fresh perspective and who were full of enthusiasm. Engaging with younger traders is a top priority for us as these will be the next generation to populate our market. Many of our traders are approaching retirement age and not many sons and daughters are interested in taking over the business. There is serious potential to these traders and we would love to see them back on the market, ideally over the long term.”
We are always so thrilled to see our PJEA entrepreneurs working so hard on their business skills and mindset which will set them up to be the successful businessmen and women of the future.