About ActSmart
The business support organisation for specialist retailers, their supply partners and trade associations.
ActSmart has over 5000 subscribers making it one of the fastest growing specialist business support organisations in the UK.
Use the dropdown options below or for more information please contact us.
What is ActSmart?
ActSmart delivers a range of services to support specialist business needs.
- Consumer promotion and branding
- Sales development tools
- Commercial cost savings
- People, recruitment and skills development
- Small business and sector specific advocacy
- News, information and advice
Click here to see the full list of current services.
ActSmart is staffed by a dedicated team of people and supported by a network of specialist partner businesses.
Who does ActSmart work with?
ActSmart has subscribers in the following sectors:
- Angling
- Creative
- Cycles
- Golf
- Music
- Outdoor Pursuits
- Snowsports
- Sports
All businesses are welcome to subscribe and take advantage of our business support services.
ActSmart partners with the following business types to develop specialist business communities:
There are currently c.12,000 businesses in the ActSmart community.
If you would like to work with ActSmart please contact us.
Why should I join?
You can join the ActSmart Community for free.
ActSmart subscibers can benefit from:
- Enhanced profile
- Increased sales
- Reduced costs
- People development
- Partnership and support
- Networking
A full list of all business services available can be found here.
Business independence is key to specialism, community is critical to success.
Join ActSmart now
How much does it cost to join ActSmart?
You can join the ActSmart Community for free.
ActSmart offers a choice of subscription packages.
Gold is our most popular subscription package, giving access to an optimum range of commercial services and promotional tools.
Click here to select the package that best suits your business needs.
Subscribe for free
Every business can join ActSmart for free and benefit from:
- Consumer promotion via The Experts community
- B2B promotion on the ActSmart trade directory
- Increase your sales with personalised gift cards
- Manage your business online with My ActSmart
- Receive important industry news and information
Become part of the specialist retail community today...
Subscribe for free now
What do our subscribers say?
"Joining ActSmart was one of the best things I did to help my business - I gained valuable advice and saved a lot of money"
Anwar Marzak, The Bicycle Man, London
"When I came to renew our subscription recently, it occurred how many times I'd used ActSmart in the last year. I've asked for workshop output comparisons Vs last year's industry average, I've had legal advice as well as marketing tips. We also used their retail finance partner, hugely successful.
We have also had plenty of use from your website. (I'm just updating our profile today). It's very conclusive and easy to navigate. The site is absolutely huge and in an age when the internet is the most powerful influence on consumers buying, it's a great tool.
The Cytech training discounts are another perk that makes the yearly subscription fee, seem entirely worth it.
Every time I have phoned for help/info, I've been impressed by the cheerful, friendly and professional staff. No one can seem to do enough to help !
Thanks guy's, so nice to deal with."
Simon Firth, Cycle Mart.
ActSmart's wider community
ActSmart are involved with multiple organisations, developing strength through partnership.
The Independent Retailers Confederation
ActSmart currently hold the Chair position of the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC) representing over 100,000 independent retailers throughout the UK.
The IRC operates the secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group through which ActSmart is a regular contributor with direct access to Government Ministers.
ActSmart also interacts with Government representing speciality retail on the Department of Business Innovation and Skills Retail Policy Forum.
Trade Associations
ActSmart are members of several trade associations, including The ACT, OIA and SIGB.
Association of Cycle Traders (ACT)
The Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) is the largest cycling trade organisation in the UK, representing the interests of specialist independent cycle shops, hire centres, workshops and their supply partners.
Outdoor Industries Association (OIA)
The Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) is the trade association for the outdoor industry in the UK.
They provide business success by the support of its members and the promotion of members products and services for the outdoor leisure pursuits market in the UK.
OIA created and leads Britain on Foot, a campaign to inspire our nation. A campaign that'll encourage more people in Britain to get active outdoors and one that aims to support the many hundreds of local, regional and national Outdoor initiatives already in place today while in the long run, gain national recognition as a simple call to action - "It's Great Outdoors!"
outdoorindustriesassociation.co.uk
Snowsports Industries of Great Britain (SIGB)
SIGB (Snowsport Industries of Great Britain) is the trade association for skiing and snowboarding in the UK.
SIGB organises a range of activities for its members and the general promotion of snowsport. The SIGB is an organisation that re-invests any profits (from the organisation of Slide) to support its members and, when funds permit, to create programmes to encourage participation in skiing and snowboarding.
Where do consumers fit in?
Consumers are a critical part of the ActSmart community.
Through ActSmart's sister organisation - The Experts - all consumer facing businesses in the ActSmart community are promoted to the general public.
Find out more here.
Make the most of your subscription
With so much to take advantage of when you join ActSmart, where do you start?
Everything you need to know to maximise the benefits of your subscription can be found on the ActSmart website, so please take ten minutes to familiarise yourself with the key areas:
- Services - See what benefits are available to your business when you join ActSmart.
- My ActSmart - Your online business management portal. When you join ActSmart you will receive your unique username and password which can be used to log in to your own My ActSmart account.
- News - Keep up to speed with industry developments and promote your own news and views.
- Jobs - Find your next role in the industry or advertise your own vacancies. Job advertising is a free service for Silver, Gold and Platinum subscribers.
- Support - Need help with anything? Find our business support tools here.