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City Centre Grande Prairie has unveiled its new Gift Card as part of its mission to revitalize the heart of the city.
The Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card was funded by the Downtown Association, and can be spent like a debit card with a multitude of participating businesses in the core, including retail, services and hospitality.
Gift Cards can be purchased online with delivery direct to the recipient, or in person from the Grande Prairie Downtown Association office.
The new Gift Card replaces the previous paper dollar system. Wendy Bosch is the Executive Director at Grande Prairie Downtown Association and said it was time to modernize the Gift Card:
“We had a paper system in Grande Prairie for 20 plus years, but we couldn’t market it in a substantial fashion. People don’t want paper these days, they want a modern Gift Card that is easily obtainable and functional, that is what we are offering with the new Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card.
“Our new Gift Card gives our local businesses the ability to go up against the Amazons of the world. Everyone, in any sector, can give their colleagues, friends, family and clients the Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card while also making a tangible investment in our community, and showing their support for local businesses and entrepreneurs.
“The City of Grande Prairie has invested over $44 million dollars into the Downtown Revitalization Project over the past few years and in doing so, the Downtown Association has taken the opportunity to rebrand and modernize the heart of the city to Grande Prairie’s City Centre. The revitalization and the rebrand is an ambitious plan to create and sustain a strong and vibrant urban core in the Peace Region. Our City Centre is proud to host a mosaic of different and unique brick and mortar establishments, over 400 in total.
“This is a Gift Card that invites the public to show their patronage for the many sectors of the entire City Centre, and encompasses the ability to acquire both needs and wants. There’s a great satisfaction in being able to use your Gift Card to pay for practical and professional purchases such as fuel, shoe repair and groceries to promotional products and service, veterinary visits, accounting, investment and legal services. Offering customers that choice is key.
“Without question, we have an extensive retail and dining array of businesses as well as health & wellness services like tattoos, pedicures, fitness, beauty salons or body sculpting. We have great businesses that offer gaming activities such as cards and board games, books, VR and laser tag and even learning opportunities like martial arts and dance. We also have the businesses that offer the unique attributes such as the library, live theatre, Legion and a retail art gallery – this gift card satisfies any gift of choice.”
“Our aim with the Gift Card is to bring the community into the heart of the city, to invite them to see what we have to offer” adds Wendy. “The Gift Card will encourage supporting local with the use of a local currency. We have a population base of nearly 70,000, a catchment area of nearly 300,000, and one of the youngest demographics in the province. It’s essential that we keep moving forward. We’ve revitalized our City Centre and now we are modernizing our Gift Card.”
A business which accepts the new Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is Bama Furniture. Owner Jason Sawatzky said:
“Bama Furniture has been in business for 30 years and we are a proud member of the Grande Prairie Downtown Association. The Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is exciting for the area and will be beneficial for all businesses. It’s a way that we can build on the collaboration that already exists in the community with a one stop shop Gift Card that is simple and easy for businesses and consumers. It makes the Downtown offer more accessible for people that live here, and also gives people who are out of the area easier access to local goods and services.
“People are increasingly interested in what local businesses are doing, they want to shop local but they also want to buy locally made goods and show their support for Canada overall. The Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is an initiative that we can all get behind, to have a positive impact for our city.”
Another business owner who has joined the Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is Hi-Tech Business Systems. Owner Kevin Szakacs said: “Hi-Tech is an IT company that has been in business in the Downtown core for 35 years.
“Some of our six Downtown businesses include Hi Tech Business Systems, Latitude 55 distillery, a book-keeping company, and a mortgage brokerage. We believe the City Centre is the heart of the city, and that all types of business can thrive here, not just retail. The Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card can reflect our changing Downtown core, and open up a whole raft of purchases, from legal and accountancy to health and fitness, restaurants and retail.
“The paper system we had before was cumbersome. The Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is different to anything we’ve had before. The versatility of the card is key, as is the security. If we all get on board and support it, then it will help our Downtown Core to evolve. This isn’t just a Gift Card for Christmas, it’s for birthdays, anniversaries, to welcome new businesses and more.
“Hi-Tech employs close to 70 local people and already uses local rewards to thank our staff and for client appreciation. In the future, I can see us using the Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card. It will give staff and clients the ability to shop everywhere.”
The technology for the Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is provided by fintech Miconex in association with international payments technology solutions provider EML Payments. Miconex operates its Downtown Gift Card concept across Canada, including Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The Grande Prairie City Centre Gift Card is issued by Peoples Trust Company. Card funds are not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) or any other government deposit insurer or agency. Funds do not expire, are non-reloadable and no cash access. For Cardholder Agreement or Customer Service: www.getmybalance.com or 1-833-558-1108.
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