Mandy Brown ( left ), from Harrison and Brown furniture store , with Natalie Dellow from Sunderland BID .
Sunderland ’ s BID to support local
Innovative festive gift scheme to boost independent retailers
For most companies , regardless of size , Christmas is a time to recognise the work of employees and to highlight the fact they are valued .
It could take the form of some kind of gift or a festive office knees-up , a token of appreciation for a job well done while raising staff morale and securing their loyalty for the year ahead .
Christmas 2020 , however , is going to be a very different animal , with those celebratory get-togethers shelved as Covid-19 continues to rage .
But thanks to a scheme created by Sunderland BID and Sunderland City Council , companies can still reward their staff – and do their bit for the local economy at the same time .
The latest initiative , which is already proving popular , is the launch of the Sunderland Gift Card , which can not only be spent at retail outlets but in hospitality venues and for experiences such as theatre and cinema , as well as for services such as hair and beauty .
The Sunderland Gift Card is part of the Reopening High Streets Safely project , which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund .
And the BID is hoping that companies will now also embrace the card and buy them for their staff or clients instead of their usual seasonal thank you .
The reaction from the city businesses to the card has been overwhelmingly positive – and now the hope is that companies will also spend their money to support the local economy .
Sharon Appleby , Sunderland BID ’ s head of business operations , said : " Within a couple of days of launching the card we had dozens of businesses signing up to be part of it .
“ It has absolutely no cost implications for them - the only criteria is they must be able to accept a Mastercard .
“ We ’ ve got retailers , hotels and restaurants all involved and the number is growing on a daily basis .”
While the current lockdown situation may be putting restraints on retail , research shows that the majority of people spend gift cards in January and February – which also gives businesses a welcome boost at a quieter time of year .
At the same time , the card also offers much-needed safety reassurances .
It means that people can shop at home using a cardless transaction , but they are ensuring their money is spent locally and it ’ s also an easy way to give a gift to someone who it may be difficult to see in person .
“ There ’ s never been a more important time for people to shop local ,” said Sharon .
“ And the Sunderland Gift Card is a fantastic way to do that , with the added bonus of having a whole host of options where it can be spent .
“ We are hoping businesses which reward their staff at Christmas will consider giving the Sunderland Gift Card this year as it ’ s not only giving people the option to spend on something they ’ d really like but will also support the local economy .”
The cards can be accepted anywhere that takes Mastercard and can be purchased for amounts between £ 5 and £ 500 .
“ Even buying a card for the smallest amount will make a real difference ,” said Sharon .
The knock-on effects of coronavirus are well-documented but , thanks to planning ahead , Sunderland has in many respects fared better than most .
The setting up of the Recovery Task Force during the first wave was ahead of the game and mapped out the road forward , leaving Sunderland in a stronger position than many other towns and cities when retail and hospitality opened again .
Now Sunderland has become the first city in the North-East to launch its own gift card , teaming up with Sunderland City Council and appointing Miconex to run the scheme for them .
Miconex operates the successful Town and City Gift scheme around the UK and it was its experience which made it the front runner to lead the Sunderland gift card .
wear . business – the voice of business for the Wear region | 35