SHOP LOCAL, SUPPORT LOCAL: Mullingar chamber shopping voucher scheme launched

The Mullingar Chamber Shopping Voucher Scheme with support from Flynn Fuels, Mullingar Credit Union and Westmeath County Council, was launched yesterday, Thursday November 29, in The Greville Arms Hotel.

The initiative supports local retailers, businesses and community by encouraging local spending. In 2017, approximately €200,000 of vouchers were sold and Retail Excellence Ireland research shows that this creates value to the extent of €800,000 to the local economy.

Christmas is a popular period for the Mullingar Chamber Shopping Voucher Scheme as vouchers are the perfect gift for friends and family and as an employer, the gift of vouchers to employees up to the value of €500 is tax free.

Vouchers can be purchased in the Mullingar Chamber office or Mullingar Credit Union. 

Nuala-Anne Curley, office manager at Mullingar Chamber, thanked the local business community for supporting the initiative. 

“It is designed to promote spending with local retailers and businesses and enhance economic growth for the town,” she said.

“The key message here is shop local, support local.”

Mullingar Chamber, with the support of Westmeath County Council under the Service Level Agreement to market Mullingar, were able to implement a new online sales and redemption tracking portal to improve the ongoing co-ordination and security of this shop local initiative. 

Mark Brindley, the Planning Partnership, was the first sale to be processed under the new system. 

At the launch of the shop local initiative were (from left) Padraic Martin, Westmeath Examiner, John Cochrane, Greville Arms Hotel, Rosie Harding, Westmeath Examiner, Bernie Ginnell, Westmeath County Council, Roger Nicholson, Mullingar gardaí, Yvonne McHugh, Mullingar Credit Union, Des Maguire, Mullingar Chamber, Tom Allen, Mullingar Credit Union, Mark Brindley, The Planning Partnership, Samantha Keegan, Flynn Fuels, Ernesta Slionyte, Apache Pizza, Nuala-Anne Curley, Mullingar Chamber, Jennifer Meehan, Westmeath Examiner, and Abi Howe, The Bridal Lounge. 

Des Maguire, Mullingar Chamber (left) presenting Mark Brindley, the Planning Partnership, with his shop local vouchers, following the first sales processed through the new online sales and redemption portal.