BID loyalty card plan to attract shoppers

A shopping man could also be introduced

A LOYALTY card could be introduced in Newbury to incentivise people to come into the town centre.

Newbury BID is hoping to deliver the initiative in 2020.

Chief executive Laurie-Jane Cann said: “The loyalty card was something mentioned in the business plan for this term of the BID, and hopefully it’s a really good way of making sure that we continue to grow the local economy.

“We don’t want the loyalty card to be something that is just available to businesses, we’d like it to be available to the public as well.

“Basingstoke have a wonderful loyalty card which really does get the public coming in and utilising the rewards and benefits that that scheme delivers, so watch this space.”

The Basingstoke loyalty card – which was a 2018 Basingstoke BID initiative to attract people to the town – offers a host of promotions and discounts at retail shops, restaurants and cafés, entertainment venues, health and beauty shops and even solicitors firms.

It costs £2 for members of the general public, while the card is free for any workers at BID businesses in the town centre.

Alongside the loyalty card scheme, Newbury BID is planning to create a shopping map to make people aware of all the independent shops in the town centre.

Ms Cann said: “We think there’s a lack of highlighting the wonderful local businesses we have in the town centre and we feel that’s something that would work very well.

“If there’s anything that will bring people back to the town centre time and again it is our independents.

“We’d like something bespoke to Newbury – on the one side we’d have the town centre and on the other side a list of all our independents as a trail, because I don’t think people realise just how many there are.”