Loyalty scheme is going Forest-wide (From Bournemouth Echo)

Loyalty scheme is going Forest-wide

7:00pm Sunday 7th March 2010 in

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A DAILY Echo-backed shopping loyalty card scheme that began in Ringwood a year ago has been taken up by New Forest council and is set to go district-wide this year.

Jim Stride, who got the Ringwood Discount Loyalty Card scheme off the ground last March, said: “I’m 100 per cent behind this. I’m really excited about the scheme.”

He said New Forest District Council employment and tourism manager Anthony Climpson had taken a keen interest in the Ringwood project when it took off last year.

While the initial scheme involved printed vouchers being printed in the Daily Echo on a monthly basis, the recently-developed offshoot will utilise a supermarket-style loyalty card which can be used in any number of participating businesses, saving shoppers having a pocketful of different cards.

Points can be built up over a period and then spent in the businesses at which they were earned.

The scheme, part of the district council’s Brand New Forest project, will be piloted in Ringwood and Lymington in June.

“If successful, the idea is to roll out the scheme throughout the New Forest District Council area during the summer,” said Mr Climpson.

Details will be published in a special A5 magazine that will be sent out with the council’s New Forest Today publication to all 79,000 households.

Mr Stride said the plastic card idea was initiated by his successor Deborah Holmes. The council was now developing the idea and setting up a website.

He believes that the project will be the first of its type to go district-wide.

The council’s employment, health and well-being panel will discuss the project on Friday.

“I just think it’s something that was initiated through the council and tourist association and Tony Climpson has given Lymington the opportunity to get involved and I think that everybody should get involved in it,” said Robert Milton of Lymington Chamber of Trade.

“It should be a win-win situation.”