Of the £136.5m total spend, approximately £50m was spent on stores that remained open through the lockdowns, including supermarkets, local food stores and off licences.

Everyone aged 18 and over was invited to apply for the £100 Spend Local card following its launch in late September last year. The total number of transactions was 3,713,609, with £97.94 on average used on the activated cards.

Sunday, November 14 was the busiest day, with 104,477 transactions and £4m spent.

Retail NI said the majority of the money did make its way to local independents and the scheme should be replicated in future years, but in a more targeted way..

Glyn Roberts, chief executive of the organisation, said: “It was a very, very good short term fix that kept people in jobs.”

One sector — retail, wholesale and vehicle services — dominated spend at £118m followed by £10m on accommodation and food services.

Nearly all (96%) of the £84.9m spent in businesses required to close during 2020 was accounted for by retail (£68m), accommodation and food services (£10m), and other service activities (£4m).

But the analysis reveals that £50m was spent on those businesses who remained open throughout the pandemic, almost all under the retail banner. Around 43% of the amount spent on retail alone went to companies that remained open during the lockdowns.

According to the analysis, the Belfast City Council area accounted for 20% of the total spend, or £27.6m, with £11m, or just over eight per cent, spent in the city centre.

The DfE also published the results of a survey of citizens, one carried out prior to the September 27 launch and one during its operation through to near the end of November.

According to the survey carried out after its launch, two thirds said they intended to spend or have spent all or most of the £100 in small local businesses.

Over a fifth (22%) said they intended to spend or have spent some in small local businesses and some in large multinational companies, whilst just over a tenth, 11%, said they intended to spend or have spent all or most of it in large multinational companies. Over two fifths, 44%, said they intended to spend or had spent all of the £100 on items they would have bought anyway.

Just over a fifth said they intended to spend or had spent on items they would not have bought absent the scheme.

The majority, 70%, indicated the money “freed up” other parts of their budget.

Of those, 36% said they intended to spend or had spent on items they would not have bought absent the scheme.

Over a quarter (27%) said it would go to pay bills or reducing debt.

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The scheme will close in 11 days’ time on 14 December and the public is being urged by Economy Minister Gordon Lyons to spend whatever remains on their Spend Local cards as soon as possible.

Already, over £107million has been spent by cardholders across Northern Ireland in the retail, hospitality and service sectors.

Minister Lyons today welcomed new figures published by the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) which show a boost to the number of people going into shops or businesses in October being continued in November following the introduction of the High Street Scheme. NIRC has said “the High Street Scheme is truly proving its value”.

The NIRC data shows that, in November, the number of shoppers in Northern Ireland reached their highest point so far compared to the pre-pandemic level. This has led to Northern Ireland showing the best recovery in the UK with -5.2% on 2019 figures.

The equivalent figures for England, Wales and Scotland were -15.7%, -16.7% and -19.8% respectively.

Stimulating business

Minister Lyons said: “The aim of the High Street Scheme has been to stimulate local businesses, including retail, hospitality and service sector outlets, which had been hit hardest during the pandemic so I am delighted to see this research published by the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium.

“I would once again urge anyone who has yet to activate or use their Spend Local card, to do it now. We want to see every penny possible from every £100 card spent. Spend it now, spend it all and spend it local.”

Aodhán Connolly, Northern Ireland Retail Consortium Director, said: “The High Street Card scheme is truly proving its value with a phenomenal bounce back in footfall across Northern Ireland. This is hugely welcome news for retailers who have had the toughest two years on record.”

The Minister also encouraged everyone to shop safely by wearing a face covering, maintaining social distancing and using contactless payment where possible.

Using the card

Cardholders can check their balance, view transaction history, terms and conditions or find answers to frequently asked questions relating to the cards by visiting the DfE Spend Local page – https://clients.prepaidfinancialservices.com/nistimulus/login.aspx

When an applicant receives their card, they must activate it through a computer-operated phone system or text message and make the first payment using a pin, before they can start to use it for contactless payments. The cards can be used in all participating businesses in Northern Ireland. They cannot be used online or for gambling or some financial and legal services.

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As the roll out of the £100 High Street Scheme continues, people across Northern Ireland have been supporting businesses by spending local and the benefits have been felt across all regions.

The Minister said: “We are hearing from those working in the retail, hospitality and service sectors across Northern Ireland that the High Street Scheme is helping to turn their businesses around after the pandemic. But there is ground still to cover until we reach recovery. That is why it is important that everyone spends every last penny on their £100 pre-paid Spend Local card in their local businesses.”

Lorna Pegg is from family owned business Sew’n’Knit in Lisburn which was first established over 30 years ago. They have seen an uplift in customers using their Spend Local cards.

Lorna said: “I have had a lot of customers using their High Street voucher towards new sewing machines. This is great to see as a sewing machine is a one off purchase.

“There is a buzz in the city centre as people seem to be generally happier when out and about spending their hundred pounds High Street voucher.”

Minister Lyons said it is important that people activate their cards and spend their £100 in full. He emphasised once again that the objective of the scheme is to stimulate recovery in local businesses by spending in bricks and mortar shops rather than online.

Buzz

Brent Kieran from Edge Hairdressing in Newry has seen customers use their cards more frequently in recent weeks.

He said: “We have noticed customers using their £100 cards to treat themselves and we hope that in the run up to Christmas this will continue and customers will buy gift vouchers for other people.

“It’s great to see the buzz in the salon and things feel positive for the rest of the year.”

The scheme closure date is the 14th December. To date over 1.36 million Spend Local cards have been dispatched with over 1.1 million activated and in use.

Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel & Lodges in Enniskillen are encouraged by the number of customers using their cards across their facilities.

General Manager, David Morrison said: “As a local family run hotel for 45 years, it is fantastic to see people choosing to use their Spend Local Cards to ‘Make Memories by The Lakes’, guests are using their cards towards a lakeside staycation in our luxury hotel guestrooms as well as our self-catering stay lodges; others are choosing to enjoy lunch and some are enjoying some much needed relaxation with an Elemis treatment at Kalm Spa.

“The scheme has been a welcome pre-Christmas boost to business.”

The Minister concluded: “It is fantastic to see local businesses benefit from the scheme as the public use their cards on their local high streets, I would urge people to continue spending and supporting local business ahead of the scheme closure date on 14th December.”

Anyone who applied for a Spend Local Card but has not received any communication from the Department regarding the status of their application should contact SpendLocalNI@economy-ni.gov.uk.

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