Staying loyal and local in Killaloe-Ballina

A NEW gift voucher scheme operated by the local traders’ association aims to encourage people to shop in Ballina and Killaloe in the Christmas season.

The Ballina Killaloe Business Association (BKBA) has set up a new Local and Loyal Gift Voucher Scheme to try and stimulate the local economy. Similar to the Oneforall voucher offered by An Post, the voucher comes in denominations of €10, €20 and €50 and will be accepted in over 55 businesses that are members of the association.
In fact, BKBA treasurer Sharon O’Donovan, pointed out shoppers will be encouraged to try and split a €50 voucher for example into smaller denominations to ensure that three businesses benefit from spending this Christmas.
Ms O’Donovan stressed there would be no additional cost to the retailer who opted to get involved in this scheme or to the customer in the form of a handling fee, which means that the full value of the voucher can be redeemed.
“There has been a good response to the voucher and it is a very flexible way to support jobs in the two local communities this Christmas. Once the promotion has been completed and the weather improves, we would expect that the take-up will continue to increase over the coming weeks,” she said.
“This is our first year introducing this voucher and we have been working on it since about this time last year, finalising various details and teasing out the different options. We hope it will be widely used by people in the local community and is an ideal Christmas gift,” she added.
The vouchers can be used in a wide variety of businesses including bed and breakfasts, restaurants and coffee shops, boutiques and children’s shops, hairdressers, hotels, supermarkets and other retail outlets.
The traders’ association has over 100 members between the two communities and over 60% of these have taken up the opportunity of accepting the voucher. It has also helped the association to attract new members.
In addition to the publication of 4,000 brochures promoting the scheme, another 1,000 flyers have been distributed to local businesses explaining the benefits for consumers while six promotional banners have been erected in Killaloe and Ballina.
The voucher, which can be purchased at any time, continues to be valid for 12 months.
Since its establishment over 18 months ago, the association has been extremely busy promoting new and existing businesses in the locality. It has developed a map and a tourist guide and is currently working on a website.
Meanwhile, the association is collecting information for the production of a new cookbook next year. It is expected that each business will provide a recipe with their name attached to it. This would include the plethora of pubs, restaurants and hotels in Ballina and Killaloe.
While the final details are not finalised, it is hoped the cookbook will help put the two communities firmly on the map for tourists and visitors who enjoy a good culinary experience.