272,249 transactions worth £10.2m in Derry/Strabane under Spend Local

A total of 272,249 transactions (7.3 per cent of all purchases in the north) worth £10,238,031 (7.5 per cent of the overall spend in the north) were made in Derry and Strabane under the £100 High Street Spend Local scheme.
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A breakdown of expenditure locally shows there were 179,575 transactions (4.8 per cent) in the BT48 postcode area that includes the Cityside, Ballynagard, Coshquin, Rosemount, Collon, and Culmore areas of Derry. The total spend in BT48 was £6,634,606 (4.9 per cent).

There were 77,261 transactions (2.1 per cent) in BT47 which incorporates the Waterside, Claudy, Feeny, Dungiven, Eglinton, Park and New Buildings. The total spend in BT47 was £2,837,093 (2.1 per cent).

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The details were provided in a new analysis produced by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) on behalf of the Department for the Economy.

Gordon Lyons launching the Spend Local scheme.Gordon Lyons launching the Spend Local scheme.
Gordon Lyons launching the Spend Local scheme.

The bulletin shows that at January 27, 2022, 1,399,051 residents in the north had been issued with a Spend Local card and that 1,393,043 (99.6 per cent) had been activated.

The total spend on Spend Local cards was £136.5 million. The total number of transactions was 3,713,609. The average amount spent on activated cards was £97.94. The busiest day of transactions was Sunday, November 14, 2021 with 104,477 transactions. The busiest day of spend, not including refunds, was Sunday, November 14, 2021 with £4.0 million spent. The number of cards with zero balance remaining was 779,461.

As the authors note: "The Scheme was launched on September 27, 2021 and invited each eligible person aged 18 or over in NI to apply for a Spend Local £100 prepaid card to spend in local businesses over a short period.

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"The Spend Local prepaid card was to be used to purchase goods and services from any business located throughout NI that accepts card payments. The cards could be used for multiple transactions, limited to a maximum spend of £100, however could not be used for online purchases, withdrawing money, gambling, legal or financial payments."

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