Bradford BID celebrates £250,000 Gift Card milestone

Bradford city centre’s dedicated gift card is celebrating a major milestone, with over £250,000 in sales, delivering a significant boost to local businesses across the district.

Launched by Bradford BID at the end of 2021, the Bradford Gift Card can be spent in a wide range of venues across the city centre. These include major cultural destinations such as the Alhambra Theatre and St George’s Hall, independent favourites like Blossoms, Pizza Pieces and Mario’s, as well as national retailers including Next and Primark.

The scheme continues to grow, with the recent addition of Darley Street Kitchen, bringing 13 new food and drink vendors into the programme and offering even more choice for cardholders. Darley Street Kitchen is the Food Hall at Bradford Council’s flagship Darley Street Market.

Jonny Noble, chief executive said: “The Bradford Gift Card was always about supporting local businesses and keeping as much spend as possible within the city centre. The economy has faced huge challenges since we launched, so we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported the scheme over the last four and a half years to help us reach this milestone. With Darley Street Kitchen now part of the scheme, people have even more great places to enjoy and spend locally.”

Latest research from Miconex highlights the growing demand for flexible local gifting, with 97% of people saying they would like a gift card that can be spent with local businesses, and 86% preferring multi-store gift cards over single retailer options.

Colin Munro, CEO at Miconex, said: “It’s fantastic to see the initiative reach £250,000 in cards sold, with over 120 businesses benefitting. The Bradford City Centre Gift Card is the only city gift card that can be spent with the big brands you know and the local businesses you love, blending unbeatable local choice with unrivalled support for local. Every card purchased is an investment in the city, providing tangible support for Bradford shops, restaurants, salons, attractions and hotels.”

A Council Spokesperson added: “Darley Street Kitchen is an exciting addition to the Bradford Gift Card, showcasing the diversity and quality of the city’s food and drink offer. It’s important that the card reflects the evolving city centre, and this new venue gives even more reasons for people to shop, dine and socialise in Bradford. Every time someone chooses the Bradford Gift Card, they are directly supporting local jobs and businesses.”

In celebration of the milestone, there is now also 25% off purchases of the Bradford Gift Card for a limited time only purchased directly online at www.bradfordgiftcard.com, giving even greater value to customers.