Some of the biggest names on the high street have signed up to accept the new Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards.
Marks & Spencer, Boots, Primark and schuh are just some of the businesses where shoppers will be able to spend the pioneering new gift card and show their support for stores in their region.
Each has signed up all of its Scottish stores as merchants, meaning that customers will be able to spend the gift cards there as they become available locally.
The Scottish Government is funding the rollout of gift cards across each of the country’s 32 local authority areas. Work is being led by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) as part of the Scotland Loves Local campaign. It is the first time that a local gift card programme has been delivered on this scale.
Support from the retail giants is seen as a major boost for the scheme, in tandem with that of independent community retailers who are also registering as merchants.
STP Chief Officer Phil Prentice said: “To secure such high-profile support is a significant show of confidence in the Scotland Loves Local Gift cards and their ability to become a major part of local economies across the country.
“It also shows the strength of commitment that these stores – and others – have for the communities in which they operate, creating another way in which local people can spend with them.
“The Scotland Loves Local Gift Cards will allow people to enjoy the very best their area has to offer, choosing local first. That’s vital for every community. If we are to create a better future for post-pandemic Scotland, we all need to think local to support the people, businesses and jobs around us.”
Businesses of all kinds are being urged to sign up to accept the gift cards in their region – meaning that people can use them to go shopping, enjoy a meal or visit a local attraction.
“The more businesses that sign up, the more ways in which people will be able to use the gift cards to support businesses in their region. This really is new local currency,” Mr Prentice added.
Local authorities across the country are currently signing up to spearhead the rollout of the gift cards for their areas, with launch costs being met by the Scottish Government.
Each card can only be spent in the region for which it is branded, meaning it is effectively a new form of local currency.
The only requirement for businesses signing up is that they must have a physical presence in the region in which they are registering. Cards will become available to customers following a series of local launches expected to take place in the coming months.
Registering to accept the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is free, with payments processed through the Mastercard network. STP is working with Perth-based fintech Miconex, which already operates gift card programmes in the UK, Ireland and North America, to deliver the scheme.
Miconex Managing Director Colin Munro said: “Collaboration is the key to success here. By working together we can create an unbeatable customer proposition and start to divert more and more money back into Scottish businesses.”
The 17 existing Town & City Gift Card programmes currently in Scotland will remain, with additional promotion for each area.
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