Cambridgeshire’s Ingenious Gifts named as one of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses

Since launching in 2019, curated UK marketplace Ingenious Gifts has grown into a platform championing independent makers and the stories behind what they create. Recent highlights include an invitation to 11 Downing Street, recognition from Theo Paphitis’s Small Business Sunday, and being named a finalist in The Small Awards. Alongside working with independent creative businesses, Ingenious Gifts uses its platform to support The Brain Tumour Charity. 

Now, Ingenious Gifts has been named as one of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses by the Small Business Saturday campaign, which has just kicked off its annual call to champion and support the nation’s favourite small businesses. 

Following a nationwide search, Cambridgeshire’s Ingenious Gifts has been selected as part of this year’s Nation’s Favourite Business line-up. The campaign will showcase each business as part of the official countdown to Small Business Saturday on 5th December - a grassroots non-commercial campaign, originally founded by American Express in the US in 2010, and the principal supporter in the UK, aimed at celebrating and uplifting independent firms by encouraging the public to support and spend with small businesses. 

Ingenious Gifts is a curated UK marketplace for handmade gifts, created to give independent makers more than simply another place to list their products. Alongside helping shoppers discover distinctive gifts from small creative businesses, the platform puts the people behind those products at the heart of the shopping experience through maker stories, original content, and meaningful opportunities for visibility. It aims to make shopping small feel more personal – helping customers discover not only what has been made, but who made it, why they make it, and the story behind their work. 

The founder, Andrew Spackman, explains: “It feels pretty surreal to see how far Ingenious Gifts has come since its launch. This latest recognition from the Small Business Saturday campaign might have the Ingenious Gifts name on it, but the accolade belongs just as much to the incredible makers who trust me to share their work and their stories." 

“They’re what give Ingenious Gifts its meaning, purpose and heart. Every maker who joins is putting a little bit of their business in my hands, and I never take that trust for granted. I’m incredibly grateful to have them on this journey with me.” 

He continues, “I want Ingenious Gifts to help build momentum around what I think of as ‘good shopping’ – where we think a little more about where our money goes, who we’re supporting and the story behind the things we buy.” 

“When somebody chooses a gift through Ingenious Gifts, there’s a real person at the other end of that purchase – an artist, maker or small creative business doing something they genuinely care about. I want us to make those people more visible and give shoppers another reason to choose something made with meaning over something mass-produced.” 

Small Business Saturday is the UK’s most successful small business campaign. Since launching in the UK in 2013, it has engaged millions of people and seen billions of pounds spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, with an impact that lasts all year round. 

“Small businesses have always been, and will continue to be, among the nation’s favourite businesses. Whether on our high streets, online or embedded in local communities, they play a vital role in the places we live and in the strength of our economy, said Michelle Ovens CBE, Director of Small Business Saturday UK. 

“This year’s Nation Favourite Businesses are a true representation of the UK’s most-loved small businesses. From independent, family-run cafés and local restaurants, to makers, services and traders, they showcase the incredible diversity of the UK’s small business community. We know how important small businesses are and the challenges they face, so as we kick off this year’s Small Business Saturday campaign, we’re urging the public to get behind them during the most critical trading quarter of the year.” 

Dan Edelman, General Manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express, said: “Small businesses bring energy, innovation and character to our high streets and local economies. That’s why American Express is proud to have founded Small Business Saturday and why we continue to back small businesses to help them thrive. This year’s Nation’s Favourite Businesses are a brilliant showcase of the UK’s entrepreneurial spirit, and we’re delighted to be providing grant funding that will help two of these inspiring businesses invest in their next chapter of growth.” 

To learn more Small Business Saturday’s Nation’s Favourite Businesses, visit smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com. Discover Ingenious Gifts online at www.ingeniousgifts.co.uk