A place management leader credited for driving forward ‘shop local’ in Canada through the Downtown Gift Cards concept has reflected on 20+ years of improving Canadian downtowns as the initiative celebrates its 40th program and $18m in sales to date.
Janette MacDonald spent 17 years as the Downtown London BIA CEO, picking up a lifetime achievement award from Ontario Business Improvement Area Association (OBIAA), and founded Shift Your Spend to encourage people to shift spend to local independent businesses.
Over the last 5 years, Janette has focused on building the Downtown Gift Cards network across Canada as business development manager at Miconex, the company that provides the technology for the Downtown Gift Cards program.
Working through the Visa network, Downtown Gift Cards are closed loop Gift Cards branded to specific downtown districts that can only be spent with registered businesses in that area, encouraging shop local by amplifying the local offering. Since Janette took the helm, the initiative has expanded to over 40 programs across 9 provinces in Canada, with $3.4m Canadian sales in 2025.
Miconex operates over 200 multi-store and multi-sector local Gift Card programs around the world with $44m in Gift Card sales in 2025 globally. Corporate sales was a key driver of Gift Card sales in 2025. Gift Cards are the most widely used reward across North America according to the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), who also predict a significant increase in Gift Card usage in 2026.
The firm estimates that almost half of its 2025 sales were business orders, primarily organisations purchasing local Gift Cards for their employees. 2025 Miconex research found that 82% of organisations said supporting local has become more important to them. In 2025, Miconex also introduced digital e-cards and the tokenization of physical cards, both allowing Downtown Gift Cards to be added to digital wallets, enabling contactless payment technology.
The top selling Downtown Gift Card in Canada in 2025 was based in Selkirk, with over $500,000 in sales in 2025. Meaghan Chromy, Executive Director at Selkirk Biz said:
“The success of our Gift Card is driven by the strong support of our local business community. Our members have come together with a shared commitment to supporting one another and keeping business local. Redeemable at 33 different merchants, our Gift Card is truly unique, offering recipients a wide variety of choices while ensuring dollars stay circulating within our community. This program truly helps us support eating, drinking and shopping local, as well as supporting Canadian .
“Working alongside Miconex as part of the wider Downtown Gift Cards network has been a very positive experience. Their expertise, ongoing support, and proven model have helped strengthen and streamline our local Gift Card program. Being part of a broader network also allows us to learn from other communities, share best practices, and ensure our program continues to grow in a sustainable and effective way for our local businesses.”
After bringing the power of local to Canadian downtowns including Selkirk, Janette is preparing to hand on the ‘shop local’ baton in May 2026 and says that the Downtown Gift Cards program has only scratched the surface of what’s possible in Canada.
“Both as CEO at Downtown London and through Shift Your Spend, I’d always been focused on how to encourage people to spend more with their local independents,” said Janette. “I met Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex at an OBIAA conference, and quickly understood the value of the Downtown Gift Cards product for BIAs in achieving this aim. The Downtown Gift Cards concept puts dollars in the tills of local businesses, and it’s measurable, so BIAs can show the value of what they’re delivering for members including the overspend.”
Janette adds: “I love the product and as a relationship builder, the business development role at Miconex has been a chance to talk to peers and colleagues about how they can drive additional revenue for their members with a product that is friction-free and easy to use. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m proud of the growth that has been achieved over the last 5 years but we’ve really just scratched the surface of what’s possible.”
As Janette prepares to retire in May 2026, the search is on for a worthy successor to take the Downtown Gift Cards concept to the next level in Canada.
“I think the ideal successor for my role at Miconex would be someone who understands the industry, likely with experience in a membership organisation such as a BIA or Chamber,” said Janette. “They need to enjoy connecting with people, and know how much good a program like this can do for a downtown area. A BIA can have a lot of challenges but they can also be a tower of strength for their members, and through a program like this, delivering and guaranteeing local spend.”
Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex said: “Janette has been a driving force for Downtown Gift Cards in Canada, being directly responsible for taking the number of programs in the country from 3 to over 40, enabling downtown districts to capitalize on the ‘shop local’ opportunity and divert online spend back into their local economies. Support for local businesses has never been stronger in Canada, and we’re keen to build on the positive momentum that Janette has created, so we can bring the power of local to even more Canadian districts.”