CFIB declares October 25 as Small Business Saturday 2014

Canadians asked to vote for their favourite small business with #MyFavSmallBiz contest

TORONTO, Oct. 6, 2014 /CNW/ - A new nationwide contest on Twitter - #MyFavSmallBiz - hosted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) in partnership with Interac, will give Canadians a chance to vote for their favourite small business. The contest, which starts today, is part of the lead-up to CFIB's annual Small Business Saturday, taking place October 25^th.

"Small Business Saturday has been growing each year, and, already, we have over 3300 small businesses with deals and offerings currently at shopsmallbiz.ca in preparation for October 25," said CFIB president Dan Kelly. "Small Business Saturday is a day for Canadians to celebrate and support the fantastic entrepreneurs who add so much to our local neighbourhoods and economies."

"We're inviting Canadians to share their favourite small business with the rest of Canada," Kelly noted. "We want to know what they love about it, why they shop there, and what makes it their favourite. There are thousands of unique businesses that have a lot to offer, but other Canadians might not know they exist. If you know and love one of these hidden gems, it's time to tell the world."

Canadians can tweet about their favourite small business using the #MyFavSmallBiz hashtag until October 18. The business that receives the most consumer will win a professionally produced ad campaign to help with their marketing and promotions – just in time for the holidays. Every day of the campaign, two draws for $500 will be made, giving customers a chance to have a shopping spree at their favourite small business.

Independent businesses can create online ads for free on the shopsmallbiz.ca

directory, which is supported by Interac. "This is our third year supporting CFIB's Shop Small Biz initiative and we couldn't be happier about our continued involvement," said Mark O'Connell, President and CEO, Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation. "Small business owners demonstrate an incredible amount of hard work and dedication across this country every day. Once again, we urge Canadians to take the time to visit a small business in their community, and to encourage their friends and family to do the same."

To learn more about the contest and Shop Small Biz, visit shopsmallbiz.ca.

CFIB is Canada's largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region.

SOURCE: Canadian Federation of Independent Business

For more information or to arrange an interview with Dan Kelly, contact Gisele Lumsden at 416 222-8022 or [email protected]