Wolverhampton Book Business Recognized Among UK’s Top 100 Independent Firms

The proprietor of a Wolverhampton book enterprise has expressed her pride in being acknowledged as one of the 100 most impressive independent companies by the Small Business Saturday UK campaign. Pat Austin manages The Gently Used Book Club, an online operation that rescues books from landfill and delivers them to subscribers monthly. Her business has been featured in the campaign group’s annual compilation ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 7, a national initiative encouraging consumers to support local businesses. Ms. Austin stated her appreciation for the recognition and thanked the city council, which she credited with providing a grant during the pandemic that helped launch her firm. Councillor Chris Burden, cabinet member for city development, affirmed that the authority was joining the appeal to foster public support for local small businesses. The campaign group, which showcases one business daily leading up to Saturday, declared its aim to assist over five million independent businesses across the UK. Ms. Austin conveyed her pleasure at being selected. “It makes me very proud to see my hard work recognised in this way,” she said. “Pat is one of the many success stories – we pride ourselves on being an entrepreneurial city, and to think Pat established this business during lockdown and is now seen as one of the top 100 most impressive small firms in the UK by the Small Business Saturday Campaign is just incredible,” Burden said.