With the end of the school year on its way, Aberdeen Inspired are encouraging parents to think local with teacher gifts by turning to the Aberdeen Gift Card to boost the city's high street economy.
A clear ‘support local’ message has been shared ahead of the end of term by the city centre Business Improvement District which runs the Aberdeen Gift Card scheme.
Aberdeen Inspired say the end of term is an opportunity to lock vital spend into the city, with an estimated £7.8million set to be spent in the UK on teacher gifts by families with primary school-aged children.
Introduced in November 2020, the Aberdeen Gift Card can be spent with over 300 local businesses and has injected more than £3.5million into the local economy since it began in 2020, making it the most successful local gift card scheme in the UK.
Gift cards were popular for end-of-term gifts in 2024, with Gift Card & Voucher Association (GCVA) data suggesting that 2.9% of people purchased a gift card for the occasion.
Shona Byrne, project manager for the Aberdeen Gift Card said: “Teachers and school staff do an amazing job each year, and it’s natural that families want to say thank you. Collecting as a class is a popular way to arrange a teacher gift, and the Aberdeen Gift Card is the ideal gift as it can be spent with over 300 businesses locally.
“Choosing our local gift card as an end-of-term gift locks spend into our city and, importantly, gives teachers unbeatable local choice.
Shona Byrne, project manager for the Aberdeen Gift Card
“And as a thank you from us we also have a competition running for the city’s primary and nursery schools to WIN a £500 Aberdeen Gift Card for their class or school to spend on whatever they like. It’s our small contribution to add the thank you collection pots for teachers and school staff and we hope that parents and teachers will jump at the chance to win £500 for their class or school.”
The Aberdeen Gift Card is part of the award-winning Town & City Gift Card concept from Miconex, active across the UK.
Colin Munro, managing director of Miconex said: “In our 2024 research, 97% of people said they’d like a gift card that can be spent with local businesses. The Aberdeen Gift Card can be spent with big brands and indies across a wide range of sectors, so there’s no need to second guess a teacher’s favourite shop, restaurant or salon - they can pick for themselves.
“And as cards are spent locally, it has a positive impact on the local economy, which is good for everyone.
“There were around 4.5 million children in primary education in the UK in January 2024, if 25% of those families contributed £7 to a teacher gift, that is over £7,875,000 being spent on teacher gifts each year.”
The competition to win a £500 Aberdeen Gift Card runs until 4 July 2025 and is open for parents and teachers at all Aberdeen city primary and nursery schools to enter by visiting the Aberdeen inspired website here.
The Aberdeen Gift Card can be purchased online and in person from the Information Shop in Bon Accord Aberdeen or the self-service kiosk next to Boots in Union Square or Load This Card packs can be picked up from the Trinity Centre or mailed out.
You can find more about the Aberdeen Gift Card here.