Derby has been chosen as one of the cities to benefit from the Small Business Saturday’s national roadshow tour.
The tour bus will stop in Derby on Friday, November 14, to shine a spotlight and support small and independent businesses. It will travel over 3,000 miles across the UK and will call at 23 towns and cities in five weeks.
Supported by the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement Districts and Derby City Council, the tour bus will track down local, independent businesses and meet the dedicated and dynamic people running them. The team will celebrate their invaluable contribution to local communities, the high street, and the wider UK economy.
Gemma Pindard, deputy BID manager for St Peters Quarter and Cathedral Quarter BIDs, is delighted that Derby will feature in the national roadshow tour.
She said: “Each year, Small Business Saturday runs a national roadshow that travels the length and breadth of the country, and we are pleased that Derby has been chosen to feature on this year’s tour. We have welcomed the tour here in Derby before and we are excited that the tour is stopping off to visit our small and successful businesses again.”
From 10am until 2pm, the tour bus will be parked on Osnabruck Square near Derby’s newly opened £35m Market Hall. The tour marks the official countdown to Small Business Saturday on Saturday, December 6. The tour ‘bus’ is an electric van to limit emission and reflect the sustainable switches many small business owners are making as part of their vital role in the race to net zero.
During the day, the team will visit shops including Critical Hit, Eagle Books, Spa Diamond, Happy Hour, Glamberry, Threadz and Cheeky Pancakes.
Derby city centre boasts a thriving community of small businesses. Since the start of 2025, new small enterprises have opened across the city centre – and more are expected to arrive before the end of the year.
Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derby City Council and cabinet member for city centre, strategy, regeneration and policy, said: “I’m thrilled that the Small Business Saturday tour will come to Derby this year. Derby has an incredible variety of small businesses who do brilliant things, particularly in the Market Hall. I’m proud to show my support for Small Business Saturday and our small businesses across Derby.
“Shopping locally creates a real sense of community and supports someone’s dream. I hope to see lots of people joining us in welcoming Small Business Saturday to Derby and promoting our fabulous small businesses.”
Martin Langdale MBE, chair of the Cathedral Quarter BID, said he was pleased that the national roadshow bus is stopping off in Derby.
He said: “Small businesses need as much support as possible and this roadshow will be hugely beneficial to our local community.
“This area boasts a huge number of small businesses and that’s why this tour bus will be very well received in Derby.”
