Shoppers across Scotland are being urged to choose local this Black Friday and get behind businesses in their community.
The team behind the Scotland Loves Local campaign is calling on everyone across the country to think local first during the entire countdown to Christmas too.
They are also encouraging people to spend using the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, ensuring the money they spend stays local for longer by directly supporting shops, attractions and jobs in the area.
Black Friday has become a key date in the festive shopping calendar, with major multi-national retailers offering often huge discounts on items.
Increasingly, however, local businesses have also adopted offers – making it a key part in the so-called Golden Quarter in the lead up to Christmas.
Scotland Loves Local is the campaign that urges people to think, choose and spend locally to help their communities recover from impacts of Covid-19 and to build a stronger, more sustainable future. It is spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), with support from the Scottish Government.
STP Chief Officer Phil Prentice said: “Black Friday shouldn’t just be a pay day for the online giants. Local businesses need to benefit too. Whether in person or online, we would encourage everyone to think local first when shopping. It’s an investment in your community’s future.
Phil Prentice, STP
“A successful Christmas can mean the difference between surviving or not for many businesses. That is truer than ever this year as – like everyone else – they work to manage the impact of rising costs with the after-effects of the pandemic.
“It’s critical for the future of local high streets that we get behind the people around us by supporting local businesses whenever we can, whether physically or virtually. ”
A way in which local people can show that support is by using the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card. These are available regionally across the country and can only be spent by local businesses registered to accept them. That makes them a direct way in which money can be used to support local jobs in shops, bars, restaurants and visitor attractions.
Local businesses are also being urged to use the cards as staff rewards this Christmas.
Research by Perth-based fintech Miconex, which is delivering the gift card programme for STP, found that 54% of staff questioned in Scotland would rather receive a gift card to other incentives at work, including social events – and that 73% prefer multi-store cards such as Scotland Loves Local.
Of those questioned, 80% said they would make a specific trip into their local town or city to spend their card.
Miconex Managing Director Colin Munro said: “The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card has the power to be a major force in the local economies, encouraging people to spend time and money close to home.
“They are not just great gifts for family and friends, but for colleagues too. Local companies can reward great work from their staff and support other businesses around them by giving them a gift card which can only be spent in this area. Everyone wins.”
For more information about the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, click here.
