Plymouth looks to keep spending in city with new ‘one of a kind’ gift card

Plymouth businesses are invited to sign up to accept a new local gift card as part of efforts to keep spend  into the city.

Set to launch later in the spring, the Love Plymouth Gift Card will be a single gift card for the city that can be spent with a variety of local businesses, including shops, hotels, attractions, galleries, bars and restaurants.

Backed by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership (PWP), which represents more than 900 businesses across the four square miles of Plymouth’s waterfront, the Love Plymouth Gift Card will be a prepaid Mastercard and easy for local businesses to accept, with no additional equipment required. Both physical and digital versions of the card will be available.

Jon Walton and Kim Downer from the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership said: “A gift card for Plymouth is something we’ve wanted to bring to the city for some time. The historic waterfront area has many unique shops and attractions, offering a diverse range of experiences. Our new gift card will be a celebration of all we have in Plymouth, and a card for locals and visitors alike.

“Our local businesses are our lifeblood, they are what make Plymouth special and different from any other city. With our own gift card, we can lock in spend to Plymouth and provide tangible support to local businesses of all types and sizes. We encourage all waterfront businesses to sign up to accept the card – and in doing so, create a truly one-of-a-kind gift card for our city.”

Once launched, the Love Plymouth Gift Card will be part of the Town & City Gift Card programme from fintech Miconex. Over 20,000 businesses are part of the initiative with £45m spent locally to date.

Colin Munro, managing director of Miconex, said: “The forthcoming Love Plymouth Gift Card will be the ultimate ‘shop local’ Gift Card, diverting online spend back into the city, and giving consumers and organisations a local option for gifts and rewards. For local businesses, the card is a proven way to drive footfall and spend. Mastercard backed, it’s easy for businesses to accept and easy for customers to spend.”