Campaign seeks to stimulate local economic recovery and support local businesses
Vancity announced the launch of Load up on Local – a major campaign to support local businesses as they work to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.
Load up on Local includes one of the largest-ever Vancity enviro™ Visa cardholder offers to help drive spending in the local economy. Through July, August and September, cardholders can earn 50% more Vancity Rewards™ points at select local businesses among the following categories:
- Bakeries and ice cream parlours
- Restaurants, eateries, and fast-food restaurants
- Wineries
- Second-hand stores
- Salons and barbers
- Health and beauty spas
- Tourist attractions and museums
- Local outdoor adventures
Along with a financial reward, the campaign includes advertising and toolkits for businesses focused on highlighting the ways every consumer can make a difference to their local community. The campaign encourages the public to shop, think and click local to help businesses in their community recover from the pandemic shutdowns.
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“You can feel the excitement from people as the economy begins to come back to life,” said Christine Bergeron, President and CEO, Vancity. “As things open up again, we have to remember the determination and resilience of our local businesses. They took extraordinary measures and made investments to remain open and support our communities. Now they’re counting on all of us who have the means to continue supporting them.”
“Load up on Local is about more than simply saying “shop local’,” Christine said. “It’s about raising awareness and providing financial incentives to our members to support the local economy.”
According to research conducted by Vancity and the Canadian Urban Institute, more than anything, businesses want to see the public encouraged to shop local. It was the most widely cited example of a meaningful support for business owners, more popular than creating a more competitive tax environment or better access to financing.
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The Load up on Local campaign is one of many supports Vancity has offered businesses throughout the pandemic. It also:
- Created tailored relief programs to support women business owners, self-employed businesses owners, and those business owners who pivoted their business to adapt to the changing environment.
- Offered deferral programs and lower interest credit card rates for impacted businesses.
- Works with Support Local BC, an online marketplace supporting small businesses.
- Has a partnership with Daily Hive to profile local businesses.
- Provided support for BIAs across British Columbia through Vancity’s Shared Success Program.
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