The Lakes Gift Card has reached the major milestone of €250,000 in card sales since its launch just over six months ago.
With huge support coming from local employers using the card to reward staff over Christmas, the sales have continued throughout this year with strong demand for occasions like Valentines, Mothers Day, Birthdays, Teachers Gifts and now Father's Day.
The Lakes Gift Card was developed for the towns and villages of Ballinrobe, Cong, Clonbur and other surrounding villages, with over 110 local businesses signed up to accept the card in their store, online, or over the phone.
Richard Burke of the Ballinrobe Business Organisation said the success of the initiative was already apparent, with cards being used in local restaurants and shops. He said a number of people living away from the area, who were not in a position to return home for Christmas, had also purchased them as gifts for family members.
The scheme was designed to operate on a commission-free model, with transactions conducted on the Mastercard system and the only prerequisite for businesses to take part is that they have a payment terminal. Mr Burke said that as well as being used for face-to-face sales, many people had made purchases online or over the phone by quoting the card numbers to the retailers in question.
Looking ahead for the remainder of the year, Mr Burke said the focus is now on spending the value of the cards so that local businesses across the region continue to benefit, adding: “The spread has been brilliant so far with over 90 of the signed-up businesses already receiving at least one transaction. Now that more places are permitted to open up, we ask everyone with a lakes card to go out and spend it, you can use it everywhere from shopping, salons, leisure activities to nights out with family and friends.”
Cards preloaded with credit can be purchased locally in Martin Murphy's Newsagents or online at www.lakesgiftcard.ie for any amount up to €500.
