Almost €3 million has been spent on the Love Sligo Gift Card, according to the Irish Independent, with Sligo BID hailing tangible support for local businesses, giving HR and reward teams in Sligo a locally redeemable alternative to national gift cards for staff recognition. 

Sligo BID is the Sligo Business Improvement District body that introduced the Love Sligo Gift Card, a zero-commission local card accepted by around 270 businesses, according to Sligo BID’s statement in Hotel & Restaurant Times, and is led by chief executive Gail McGibbon.

Miconex is the fintech that delivers the Town & City Gift Cards network across Ireland, according to Irish Tech News.

The strategic logic keeps reward spend local. Sligo Park Hotel moved from national gift cards to the Love Sligo Gift Card to recognise staff, and has invested over €30,000 into the town through its reward and recognition programme, according to Hotel & Restaurant Times.

The structural driver is employer demand: between November 2023 and November 2024, around 70% of sales went to local organisations buying the card for employee rewards, according to Miconex.

Miconex’s case study says the €1,500 Small Benefit Exemption scheme in Ireland presented a significant opportunity for corporate sales.

Gail McGibbon, chief executive of Sligo BID, said in a statement reported by Hotel & Restaurant Times: “There are numerous advantages to organisations of using the Love Sligo Gift Card over the national cards.”

Staff recognised through surveys receive a €25 Love Sligo Gift Card, according to Sligo Park Hotel in Hotel & Restaurant Times.

The Town & City Gift Cards network recorded €17.4 million in sales in 2025, up 65% on 2024, and Miconex estimates the spend will drive 335,000 visits to high streets in 2026, according to Irish Tech News.

County Sligo LEADER Partnership funded 75% of the launch costs for the card, and the card achieved €2 million in sales in two years, according to Irish Tech News.

For the sector, the card shows employers using locally redeemable rewards to recognise staff while keeping spend in their town, according to Sligo BID and Sligo Park Hotel.