Chloe’s big city dreams

Darlo Ethical Babywear joined other small business from around the country at a Small Business Saturday Christmas Fair at The Treasury’s Internal Drum, attended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.

Owner Chloe Hoole launched the company, which designs and sell organic baby clothes and, with every product sold, provides meals for children in India, back in 2014 after moving from Sheffield to London.

The event was part of the grassroots, not-for-profit Small Business Saturday campaign, which aims to place small, independent businesses from communities across the country in the national spotlight. It also aims to encourage people to spend money with these businesses, ont only in the run-up to Christmas, but also to create a mind-set to support them all year round.

Chloe, aged 31, said: “We were thrilled to be shortlisted for the top 100 small businesses back in September and even more thrilled when we were asked to celebrate at the Treasury. In these tough economic times, it’s often the small businesses that feel the pinch the most, so it’s great to have events like this, which encourage communities to come together, support small businesses and buy local.”

Tens of thousands of small businesses around the UK have engaged with the campaign across various social media platforms in the past year, with 30,000 ordering marketing packs by post with posters to display on their premises.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, said: “Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity to champion some of the brilliant entrepreneurs and firms we have in this country and make sure everyone is aware of the powerful role they play.”