ShopLK is now the top selling local gift card in Ireland after another record-breaking year of sales!
Annual sales of ShopLK Gift Cards for 2024 reached €7,059,233, an increase of €1.3m on 2023.
Letterkenny’s shop local initiative celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024.
The record-breaking success follows an increase in corporate sales and the introduction of a raft of technological advancements for the programme including the digital ShopLK Gift Card and the ability to pick up cards in person and load with value.
Commenting on the most recent achievement, Claire McDonough, Chamber President said: “Each year since our ShopLK Gift Cards were launched, we have had year on year sales increases. We were cautious this year with making a prediction after hitting such a huge milestone last year, so we have been blown away by this figure that has far exceeded all our expectations.
“Our corporate sales continue to increase as businesses chose the ShopLK Gift Card as a reward for their employees and this year we welcomed new corporate customers from around the county recognising that Letterkenny is regarded as the main retail centre of the county.
“Corporate sales are only part of the success story. The Chamber Office and the pop-up shop in The Courtyard Shopping centre were busier than ever right up to Christmas eve. This year we also had the ShopLK digital card as an alternative to the physical card and the ‘Load this Card’ option has also proven really popular.
“As ShopLK Gift Cards are only redeemable in over 260 outlets in Letterkenny, this brings profit to the town and supports local jobs. ShopLK is all about supporting local shopping, sales of this level shows that the message has gotten through. Customers love the variety and the support it offers in their favourite outlets.”
Letterkenny Chamber President Claire McDonough celebrates the record breaking €7,059,234 of Shop LK Vouchers sold in 2024 Photo Clive Wasson
Toni Forrester, CEO at Letterkenny Chamber, said: “What a busy year it was. 2024 saw us move into a new partnership with Town & City Gift Card provider Miconex; this has given us much more scope in terms of a digital offering that has proved very popular, web sales were also up on last year and all round we are now able to offer a better online service.
“As we headed into December we knew it was busy but this sales level has really surprised us. This is the biggest town scheme in Ireland and we appreciate our customers who have bought cards in their thousands and the many businesses who use ShopLK as their preferred employee reward.”
The digital version of the ShopLK Gift Card can be added to digital wallets, enabling ‘tap to pay’ New digital technology for corporate organisations was also introduced in the latter part of 2024, allowing organisations to send ShopLK Gift Cards to multiple recipients at once, immediately or on a future date.
Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex and said: “It has been fantastic to work alongside Letterkenny Chamber in 2024 to help take this trailblazing local gift card to the next level of growth. The introduction of the new digital ShopLK Gift Card for both consumers and corporate organisations enhanced accessibility and convenience of the card, encouraging even more people to make the move to local.
“With the Irish Revenue’s Small Benefit Exemption Scheme now increased to €1,500 from January 1st, local gift cards like the ShopLK Gift Card give employers the chance to gift their staff a tax free benefit that also benefits their community.”
Acknowledging the support of Donegal County Council, Claire McDonough added: “The financial support that we have had from the Donegal County Council, Letterkenny Milford MD, has really enabled us to elevate ShopLK over the years and really establish the brand. It has allowed us to promote Letterkenny across Donegal and the North West.
“Letterkenny Chamber could not run this highly successful initiative without the support of DSP Community Employment programme through which the Chamber is staffed. It is the frontline staff in the Chamber that provide the much-needed resources throughout the year to make ShopLK such a success and the support of the Department of Social Protection is very much appreciated.”
Visit the Shop LK website: www.shoplk.ie
