The new Grá Macroom Gift Card for the town of Macroom and neighbouring villages listed on the Grá Macroom Gift Card has gone live following an official launch event at the Castle Hotel in Macroom on the 29th October.
Backed by Macroom Business Association, the Grá Macroom Gift Card replaces the previous paper Macroom shopping voucher and extends its reach from the town to its surrounding villages in the Lee Valley region, benefiting 15,000 people and around 100 businesses.
Available in both physical and digital formats, the new Grá Macroom Gift Card is part of the award winning Town & City Gift Card initiative, and the first of its kind in County Cork.
Cards are available to buy online and in person from Killian Auctioneers Macroom, Cooney’s Garage in Coachford, Connections in Macroom, Dromeys Centra in Ballymakeera and Daybreak in Ballingeary and can be spent with around 100 participating local businesses.
The Grá Macroom Gift Card is eligible to be used with the Small Benefit Exemption that allows organisations to gift their people up to five small non-cash benefits, tax free, each year up to the value of €1,500.
Organisations can avail of a new corporate ordering site, with physical cards delivered securely by post, or the ability to send digital cards on a day/time of the organisation’s choosing.
Irish owned chain Connections has stores across County Cork, including in Macroom. The Macroom store is both a location to buy the new Grá Macroom Gift Card and a business which accepts the card.
David O’Leary is CEO and founder of Connections and said: “It’s the right time for Macroom to have its own high-tech Gift Card because the paper vouchers were dated. The new Grá Macroom Gift Card, being a physical and digital card, is more streamlined and easy to use. Since the pandemic, we’ve moved from around 40% card payments to 70% card payments. The Grá Macroom Gift Card is something recipients will have in their pocket or digital wallet.
“Coming up to Christmas, employers can buy the Grá Macroom Gift Card for their staff in bulk. It’s an easy, efficient way to reward staff. Why would you give a Perx or One4All Gift Card, when you can keep it local with the Grá Macroom Gift Card, and ensure that spend stays in the local economy. It makes more sense.
“The extension of the Grá Macroom Gift Card beyond Macroom to its neighbouring villages will bring the benefits of the initiative to more people.”
Restaurants, pubs and hotels also accept the new Grá Macroom Gift Card, such as third generation family-owned The Castle Hotel. Manager, Rory Buckley, said:
“The Castle is a four star hotel with 56 bedrooms and a leisure club. The launch of the new Gift Card is a great move for Macroom. Every community wants money to circulate and keep spend local, and that’s what the Grá Macroom Gift Card will do. We accept the card at the hotel, and I think in today’s economy, a card that can be used to pay for annual leisure club membership, swimming lessons for the kids or on an ongoing basis to enjoy lunch out is a real positive, easing the cost of living.
“The ease of purchase and use of the Grá Macroom Gift Card will also bolster tourism. With the card, people can enjoy a night away and a full experience of Macroom, spending over and above what's on the card as they enjoy Macroom and its surrounding villages. A former Macroom resident now living in Australia recently commented that they see the card as a great gift to give to family still living at home in Macroom. So as well as locking spend into Macroom, it'll bring new money in too."
Third generation business Matt Murphy’s Pharmacy in Macroom is part of the new card. Henry Murphy commented:
“The pharmacy is a family run, third generation business that has been located in the centre of Macroom for over 100 years. We used to purchase the paper vouchers for our staff and this year, we’ll be purchasing the new card. It’s nice that there’s the option of the physical or digital card, and I like the fact that the physical card features local place names. Employees have pride for where they live and with the Grá Macroom Gift Card, they can have a piece of their home town or village in their pocket for Christmas.
“I’d urge local firms to use the Small Benefit Exemption to reward their staff tax free with the card this Christmas. It's a fantastic initiative that will drive footfall for local businesses, helping us create a circular economy and ensuring money that is generated in Macroom and neighbouring villages is spent here too.”
Killian Lynch Auctioneer and chairperson of the Macroom Business Association said: “The convenience of the new Grá Macroom Gift Card and the support for local is what sets it apart from any other Gift Card in the area. You can buy it at many popular local businesses, you can buy it online and send it with a gift message to family living in the Lee Valley, or you can buy it for your staff in a few steps. We’re making support for local simple, and at the same time providing a fantastic service for employers in providing a card that they can use as a staff reward that meets all revenue requirements.
“This is also the first time that the town of Macroom and surrounding villages can work on a joint project, which is fantastic. We will be the first individual town in Munster to have this card system. There has been a lot of work to get to this stage but it will be to the benefit of everyone involved. I have been speaking to major employers about this and they are only too happy to jump on board and support it for themselves and their staff.”
Miconex provides the technology for the Grá Macroom Gift Card as part of the wider Town & City Gift Card network.
Colin Munro is the CEO of Miconex and said: “Organisations are increasingly making the move to local rewards like the Grá Macroom Gift Card. By choosing their local Gift Card this Christmas, organisations not only give their people unbeatable local choice, they are ensuring the benefit they gift their staff also benefits their town.”