A competition to find the UK’s favourite local business has launched.

Shop local gift card firm Miconex has launched its 2024 Favourite Local Business competition, with £1,500 in local gift cards as the prize.

The UK’s Favourite Local Business will be the business who has the most unique votes and will win a £500 local gift card, with one person who nominated them winning a £1,000 local gift card.

The competition aims to shine a light on local businesses making a positive impact on communities. Local businesses across a range of sectors are eligible to be the UK’s Favourite Local Business, including retail, hospitality, leisure, accommodation, health and beauty and services.

Miconex operates more than 200 local gift card programmes around the world, including Town & City Gift Cards in the UK and Ireland, with more than £30 million spent locally to date and more than 20,000 businesses participating. Town & City Gift Card programmes run across Wales, including in Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Pontypridd and Swansea.

UK’s Favourite Local Business also aims to build on the ‘shop local’ sentiment that exists in the run up to the key Christmas trading period. In December 2023, the Gift Card and Voucher Association found that the number of gift card shoppers supporting local increased to 19.7%, reflecting a wider cultural shift toward community-centric values.

Colin Munro, managing director of Miconex, said: 

“As UK’s Favourite Local Business goes live in Wales, we’re encouraging people to think about the local businesses, big and small, that have a positive impact on their community, from shops to restaurants, hotels to salons. It’s a reminder of the difference that local businesses make and a plea to think local as we approach the festive season.

“The Christmas trading period is crucial for businesses and when people choose to shop local it helps businesses to stay open, to keep on employing local people and contributes to community vibrancy.”

Entries to the UK’s Favourite Local Business competition can be made at: www.lovelocalwin.co.uk. The competition closes on October 31 2024