Isle of Wight council are encouraging Islanders to show their support for their favourite local businesses this Christmas – by purchasing a Wight Gift Card.
Over 130 Island businesses accept the Wight Gift Card and it’s proven popular with customers and businesses alike, who have praised the programme for being easy to use, providing a vast choice of retailers to support and promoting small businesses after a difficult retail period.
Jevon Kennedy, Managing Director of W Hurst & Son said “we have been accepting Wight Gift Cards across our 6 retail locations and our website for almost 2 years. Whilst as a business we are proud to support the local island economy, the Wight Gift Card has also added substantially to sales and has been a valuable support to us as a local retailer.
“At point of sale, the transaction process is quick and easy, whether it be used in a shop or on our website.”
Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, cabinet member for Levelling Up, Regeneration, Business Development and Tourism said “When I brought the idea of a gift card to the Economic Development Board, we were in lockdown and facing so many uncertainties – we still are, of course – but one thing that we know is that keeping as much spend in the local economy, strengthens the local economy.
The Island Gift Card is the nearest thing to having our own currency. It can be spent in the same way as a debit card in over 130 local businesses; that’s a lot of choice from hospitality and retail across the Island, making it a smart choice for a gift this Christmas.”
From the 1st of December, you can also show your support by voting for your favourite local business in Town and County Card’s Christmas competition, with the winning business awarded £500 worth of cards to gift their hardworking staff and the person who nominated them winning a £500 code for the Town and County Card website.
