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Fife shoppers have been urged to support and spend with the region’s businesses on Black Friday - the single biggest shopping day in the countdown to Christmas

The team behind the Scotland Loves Local campaign wants people to get behind the businesses at the heart of their High Streets and town centres. It is also calling on them to spend using the Scotland Loves Local Fife Gift Card, ensuring the money stays local for longer by directly supporting shops, attractions and jobs in the area.

Black Friday has become a key date in the festive shopping calendar, with major multi-national retailers offering often huge discounts on items.

Increasingly, however, local businesses have also adopted offers - making it a key part in the so-called Golden Quarter in the lead up to Christmas.

Phil Prentice has urged Fifers to support local traders

Scotland Loves Local is the campaign that urges people to think, choose and spend locally to help their communities recover from impacts of Covid-19 and to build a stronger, more sustainable future. It is spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), with support from the Scottish Government.

Phil Prentice, STP chief officer said: “Black Friday shouldn’t just be a pay day for the online giants. Local businesses need to benefit too. Whether in person or online, we would encourage everyone to think local first when shopping. It’s an investment in your community’s future.

“A successful Christmas can mean the difference between surviving or not for many businesses. “It’s critical for the future of local high streets that we get behind the people around us by supporting local businesses whenever we can, whether physically or virtually. ”

A way in which local people can show that support is by using the Scotland Loves Local Fife Gift Card. They can only be spent by local businesses registered to accept them. That makes them a direct way in which money can be used to support local jobs in shops, bars, restaurants and visitor attractions.

Local businesses are also being urged to use the cards as staff rewards this Christmas.

For more information about the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card, please go to www.lovelocal.scot/giftcard.

Black Friday: Fifers urged to shop local on biggest Christmas shopping day