PETERHEAD BUSINESS CHAMP URGES FIRMS TO JOIN DIGITAL REVOLUTION
September 2022
Peterhead-based business champion, Jimmy Buchan, has urged independent small firms to embrace new technologies.
During a visit from Scottish Government Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Ivan McKee last week, the Trawlermen star behind the Amity Fish Company says that it was only through e-commerce that his business survived the pandemic.
Amity was crowned the Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB’s) UK Small Business of 2022, beating more than 3,000 other entrants and dozens of regional and national winners. Minister McKee’s visit to Amity also coincided with the opening of the 2023 FSB awards.
Jimmy Buchan said: “During the covid crisis, my business switched from exclusively supplying restaurants and the hospitality trade to delivering seafood products directly to people in their homes. This change led to the business doubling its turnover and allowing us to increase its headcount.
“I know that times are tough for tens of thousands of small businesses. What I’d suggest to the hard-working entrepreneurs behind these firms is to see if new tech might help them reach new customers or reduce their costs.”
Amity Fish Company was the third Scottish business in a row to be crowned FSB’s UK business of the year. Highland businesses Woodlands Glencoe and Cruise Loch Ness scooped the prize in previous years.
Business Minister Ivan McKee said:
“The Scottish Government is proud to champion our small business community, it is testament to the brilliant businesses in our midst that the overall UK winner of the FSB awards has, for the third time in a row, come from Scotland.
“There are opportunities for businesses through better use of technology as demonstrated by Amity Fish, who invested in digital skills allowing customers easy access to their products during the pandemic. A key theme of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation is how we improve digital adoption across the economy and with risings costs of doing business, it’s important all options are available to help weather the storm. Congratulations again to Jimmy and best of luck to all of this year’s entrants.”
FSB’s Policy Chair for Scotland Andrew McRae who joined the Minister on the visit added:
“We know that businesses are going above and beyond to make it through this crisis without adding to the hardships of their staff and customers. Jimmy embodies the spirit of business that will be needed to get through these tough times, but we all know that ingenuity and determination on their own won’t be enough. We need to see real financial help to ease the cost of doing business crisis now, before it’s too late and good businesses go under.”
