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I’m really pleased to be launching my Local Business Summer Spotlight for 2025. This is a campaign I’ve created to highlight and celebrate some of the brilliant local businesses across Aberdeen South and North Kincardine.
This is something I started last year, and the response was fantastic. Last year, I had the chance to visit a wide range of shops, cafés, services, and social enterprises that are right at the heart of our communities. It felt right to bring the campaign back - bigger and better.
I’ve lived in Aberdeen most of my life. Being a daughter of a grocer, I know just how much our small businesses contribute, not only to our economy, but to the everyday life of our communities. Whether it’s a long-standing family-run firm or a brand-new start-up, these are places where people work hard, take risks and do their bit to keep our local economy going.
Over the summer, I’ll be visiting businesses across the constituency, from Cove and Torry to Portlethen and Garthdee, speaking with local business owners all over Aberdeen South and North Kincardine. I’ll be highlighting their businesses online and encouraging others to support local wherever they can.
A lot of these conversations also touch on wider issues. The pressure of energy bills, rising costs, Labour's devastating national insurance increases, and the challenges faced when planning for the future. It’s clear to me that while there’s an incredible amount of talent and energy in the North East, it’s not always matched by the support we deserve.
The North East has been a centre of energy, innovation and talent for generations, but we haven’t always seen that reflected in the investment choices made at a UK level. With more say over economic levers and more flexibility in decision-making, we could do more to back local enterprise, tackle regional inequality and ensure communities like ours aren’t left behind.
This campaign is about recognising the strengths we already have and showing what’s possible when we back our local economy. These businesses create jobs, offer vital services, attract tourism, and keep our high streets vibrant. They deserve to be recognised, not just this summer, but all year round.
I also want this to be a celebration of the people who run these businesses, the staff who keep them going and the communities that support them. There’s a real pride in local enterprise here in Aberdeen, and I’m looking forward to meeting more of the folk behind it all.
If there’s a business in your area that you think deserves a spotlight, I’d love to hear from you. Please contact my office at Audrey.Nicoll.MSP@Parliament.scot or call 01224 876743.
