A new gift card is coming soon, designed to help ongoing Covid recovery for businesses and encourage local spending. Recipients of the Argyll and Bute (loves local) gift card will be able to enjoy a range of fantastic local products, services and experiences on offer from across the area. They include:
- Hotel stays
- Local gifts
- Clothes
- Local dining
- Household goods
- Groceries
- Local services (e.g. garages, accountants)
Businesses are encouraged to register for the Scottish Government-backed scheme to support increased local spending and to help protect jobs across Argyll and Bute.
A map and listings of all registered businesses will appear on a dedicated Argyll and Bute webpage on the Scotland Gifts Local website when the card launches next month. The gift cards will be sold online via the Scotland Gifts Local platform, which allows people from all over the world to order a card.
A number of Argyll and Bute businesses have already signed up including local cafes, bookshops, opticians, tourist attractions, gift shops and supermarkets. This list is expected to continue to expand.
The show of support for local businesses across Argyll and Bute is being delivered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation spearheading the Scotland Loves Local Campaign supported financially by the Scottish Government and endorsed by Argyll and Bute council. This is a further element of the highly successful shop local campaign.
Why should businesses sign up?
There are no registration costs for participating businesses.
Information gathered from similar local gift card scheme show that:
- 43% of gift card recipients made a one-off purchase at a new business via a gift card
- 22% said they then became a regular customer
- On average people spend 65% more than the value of the gift when they go out to spend their card
- 50% of gift card recipients spend their cards within 1 month of receipt
How can I sign up?
To find out more information about the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, including how to sign up, visit www.lovelocal.scot/giftcard
Councillor Robin Currie, Policy Lead for The Economy and Rural Growth:
“The Gift Card scheme presents an excellent opportunity to support our local businesses as they continue to recover from the impact of COVID.
“It has the potential to generate significant spending across Argyll and Bute’s economy, helping secure jobs and build a more sustainable future for the region’s communities.
“We would encourage all businesses across Argyll and Bute to sign up - this is the perfect way for people to show their support for their local traders particularly in the run-up to the Christmas shopping period.”
The call to businesses to sign up was backed by Scotland’s Minister for Community Wealth, Tom Arthur MSP:
“We are delighted to be backing this innovative scheme as part of our pledge to support local businesses and communities within the first 100 days of government.
“The Gift Card is a quick and efficient way to encourage spend and drive sales growth in our local economies. Thanks to Scottish Government funding, this is the first of its kind on a national scale and I look forward to seeing businesses benefit from the opportunities it presents.
“In the coming months we will further bolster the Scotland Loves Local (SLL) campaign with the second tranche of our SLL Fund, helping communities revitalise their own towns or neighbourhoods, building wealth and delivering greater, greener and fairer prosperity.”
The Argyll and Bute Gift Card is one of 32, unique to each region of Scotland, and can only be spent in businesses located in the region.