The Love Cambridge Gift Card is now available to buy from a self-service branded kiosk at Grand Arcade in the city centre – the first permanent in-person location to buy the card in Cambridge.
Cambridge’s new kiosk is a collaboration between Cambridge BID, Grand Arcade and Miconex, who provide the technology for the Love Cambridge Gift Card programme and 90+ other Town & City Gift Cards across the UK.
The collaboration is designed to increase the convenience of supporting local and continue Cambridge BID’s mission to support local businesses across the city.
With the permanent kiosk now in place at Grand Arcade, people can buy the city’s local gift card in person in values of £5-£500, with purchasers also able to pick up a matching gift card holder.
The kiosk is the first permanent in-person location to buy the Love Cambridge Gift Card, with the card previously sold in-person at festive pop ups across the city. Cards are still available to collect and load with value at home from the Cambridge Tourist Information Centre on Peas Hill and the Hilton Cambridge City Centre on Downing Street, plus online for consumers and corporate organisations.
Delivered by Cambridge BID, the Love Cambridge Gift Card is designed to encourage ‘shop local’, and can be spent with over 160 businesses in the city, including big brands and independent businesses. Businesses can sign up to accept the Love Cambridge Gift Card by getting in touch with Cambridge BID. Over £680,000 of Love Cambridge Gift Cards have been sold to date, driving footfall and spend to city businesses.
Located in the heart of Cambridge city centre, Grand Arcade offers a mix of 60 premium and high-street retailers, located over two floors. The kiosk is situated on the ground floor, near to JD Sports.
Helen Hames is director of destination & delivery at Cambridge BID and said: “We introduced the Love Cambridge Gift Card in 2018 to drive footfall and spend in the city centre and that is exactly what it has done with almost £700,000 generated to date, money that is ring-fenced into the local economy, providing tangible support for our businesses. The introduction of the new kiosk at Grand Arcade is an important step forward in the evolution of our card, enhancing its convenience by making it easier to pick up the card in person.”
Martin Macwhinnie, centre manager at Grand Arcade, said: “Cambridge was voted the best retail destination in the UK thanks to its historic buildings, unique independents and big brands. The great thing about the Love Cambridge Gift Card is that it can only be spent in the city, keeping money local. Many retailers and shopping centres have their own Gift Cards, but by collaborating together on the Love Cambridge Gift Card, we’re connecting retail and hospitality across the city, building the proposition for the recipient, and making the card suitable for gifts and rewards for a broad range of people. The new kiosk at Grand Arcade will make the card more accessible and increase awareness too. And it’s launching at the perfect time for people to pick up the gift of choice when doing their Christmas shopping in the city.”
The Love Cambridge Gift Card is part of the award winning Town & City Gift Cards initiative active across the UK and Ireland.
David O’Neil is the chief customer officer at Miconex and said: “Convenience is central to customer purchasing decisions with 1 in 3 people choosing gifts based on how quickly they can get them. At Miconex, we’re committed to facilitating partnerships between our Town & City Gift Card programmes and leading shopping centres across the UK, pairing convenience with choice and support for local. The new Love Cambridge Gift Card kiosk at Grand Arcade dispenses the card right where people want to buy it, in the heart of the city. This collaboration will make supporting local easier than ever before.”
