Paul Lenihan, Tim Rooke and Greg Brant have launched OPEN gift card in a mission to help boost a wide variety of independent businesses in Leeds and its suburbs.
The card provides an excellent alternative to gift cards offered by the high street chains and national stores, ensuring that the local economy is being supported by driving revenue into Leeds’ small and independent businesses.
Co-Founder, Paul Lenihan: “Now more than ever, small businesses need support. The OPEN gift card is designed to encourage people to think local and support many of the amazing independent businesses across the City, which need as much help as possible. The card can already be spent in up to 50 businesses across Leeds, with more being added each week. Not only will consumers have a great choice of where to spend their money, from eating out or trying yoga, to artisan gifts and a makeover, they can also support their local economy.”
There’s no doubt that the appetite for socially-conscious shopping is growing, and businesses can register free of charge, after which they pay a small commission on any purchases made using the OPEN card.
Tim Rooke, Co-Founder: “The card can be spent in any of the registered independent businesses. So you don’t have to worry about knowing the exact coffee shop or deli that someone uses; you simply buy them an OPEN gift card and they can spend it in places they use all the time, or of course, they can explore all those new places they’ve still not got round to trying yet!”
You can order an OPEN gift card online here, or you can pick one up from any registered business. You simply load funds in your own time through the OPEN website and you can add from £10 to £120. It works in the same way as a typical store gift card, the difference being the recipient can choose to spend the balance, in person, with a wide range of participating independent businesses located in and around the City Centre and suburbs.
You will be able to use OPEN gift cards with online only retailers in the new year. The funds are available to spend for 24 months from the date the card is loaded.
Director of hair salon Haus of XS, Sara Turner: “The OPEN gift card is a great opportunity for local people to support small businesses. The card will help drive footfall and support those independent businesses, like me, who have suffered terribly during the COVID pandemic and it’s vital that people help support their local independent businesses if we have any chance of survival. I’ve recently relocated my salon from the City Centre to Chapel Allerton, so it’s also a great way to help increase awareness to new customers at little cost.”
Owner of Chirpy, Jo McBeath: ‘I love the idea of a gift card which can help people shop with local, small, independent shops. OPEN gift card is helping to form a community of like-minded indie businesses and giving customers an easy way to shop with them.’
The entrepreneurs have also recently joined forces with ‘Leeds Indie Food’ who have just launched a directory of over 700 local independents www.supportyourlocalindie.co.uk, and are also part of the #buyleeds campaign. If the card proves to be a success in Leeds, the company intends to roll out the concept nationally.
Photograph shows Tim Rooke (l) and Paul Lenihan (r). Photograph provided by Pink Gorilla.
