"Hie läbe, hie ichoufe" – a campaign to support local businesses

  26.05.2020 Business

"After the Federal Council had communicated the timetable for the easing of the lockdown, it was clear to the trade association that support measures for the trade also had to be worked out at a regional level," says a joint media release. With Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus and the Hotelierverein Gstaad-Saanenland, strong partners were found for the project, which they developed together and submitted to the Saanen municipal council with the application for co-financing.

Voucher format: Gstaad Gift Card
In concrete terms, all households in the municipality of Saanen will receive a Gstaad Gift Card with a value between CHF 25 and CHF 100 – depending on the number of people. The Gstaad Gift Card was launched two years ago by the GST as a gift voucher and regional means of payment, in keeping with the times, on a purely electronic basis. "The Gift Card ideally covers the technical requirements of the project. The cards can be provided with an expiry date and the system ensures that the money ends up in local shops," states the media release.

Pragmatic sums
The municipality of Saanen had been very open about the project. Due to time constraints, the maximum contribution of the municipality was set at a maximum of CHF 200,000, at the request of the project group. The municipal council thus had the authority to decide on the project without consulting the public. Otherwise the project would have been noticeably delayed and would no longer have been able to fulfil an important aspect – namely the rapid implementation. The municipality of Saanen had made it a condition for the project group that the money spoken should benefit the population in full. "In the end, only what the population has redeemed and spent in local shops and restaurants will be paid out." Technical and administrative costs are borne by the organisations that make up the project group.

Single households receive – subject to final changes – CHF 25, two-person households CHF 50 and households with three or more people CHF 100. The amounts can be cumulated with other gift cards. Everything can be spent at once or in any number of steps. "The main thing is that the population takes advantage of the opportunity and carries the money to local shops and restaurants. Because only what the population spends ends up in the cash register of the regional businesses by the end of September."

Valid until the end of September
The primary objective of the project is to support local businesses. "When the idea was developed, care was taken to ensure that as many as possible could benefit. So it was decided that the money would be paid out to the population – on the condition, of course, that the money would also have to be spent locally – and thus the population would also benefit. The project should bring money into the coffers of the local businesses as quickly as possible and was therefore conceived as an immediate measure. "Hence the money that is given to the population must be spent within about three months."

Medium and long-term benefits
By deciding to organise the distribution of the funds through the population, the project group hopes to achieve medium and long-term benefits in addition to the immediate financial impact. "It is important to draw the population’s attention to the importance of local businesses. The campaign should bring people into local businesses, promote contact with tradespeople and restaurateurs/hoteliers and show the importance of a functioning regional economy." The retail trade and catering businesses are dependent on support in the form of a loyal local clientele, especially now, but also in the future. This is to be promoted indirectly.

Based on AvS/Anita Moser


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