Aldi and Sainsbury’s have signed up to the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card initiative, designed to help boost the economy and help customers financially recover.
As a result, more than 100 Aldi stores and over 70 Sainsbury’s stores are now accepting the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card as a method of payment.
Both major retailers join the likes of Marks & Spencer, Spar, Scotmid, and Boots – as well as large numbers of independent retailers in communities across the country in supporting the programme.
Customers can spend their regional Scotland Loves Local Gift Card at Aldi and Sainsbury’s stores in the areas for which their card is branded. The gift card gets swiped at the till like a debit or credit card, with the balance automatically updated.
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“With over 450 Scottish products from more than 90 local suppliers in our stores, shoppers can use their Scotland Loves Local Gift Card to enjoy some of the finest and best-value food and drink the country has to offer,” said Aldi Scotland group buying director, Graham Nicolson.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are delighted to come on board with the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card initiative as a redemption partner, giving customers even more choice in how they spend their gift cards in their local area and powering local economic recovery.”
The Scottish Government is backing the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card initiative, designed to fuel the regional economic fightback by locking in spend locally, delivered by Scotland’s Town Partnership (STP).
STP chief officer Phil Prentice believes the addition of Aldi and Sainsbury’s to the list of merchants will add to the wide variety of businesses where people can spend as part of the scheme.
He said: “The Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is about locking money into local economies, protecting jobs, and helping lay the foundations for a stronger future.
“By creating the greatest possible choice of businesses for consumers to spend their cards, we are enhancing the potential of the cards to do exactly that.”
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