Bira calls for shopping voucher scheme across UK

Calls are being made for a shopping voucher scheme, which encourages high street spending, to be rolled out across the UK.

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is calling for England, Wales and Scotland to follow the example set in Northern Ireland by issuing the scheme across the rest of the UK.

Last week it was announced that every adult aged over 18 in Northern Ireland will be issued with a £100 voucher to spend at 'bricks and mortar' retailers.

The announcement coincided with the reopening of non-essential retail in Northern Ireland, with £145 million allocated to its rollout.

Whilst it has not been confirmed when the voucher will be issued, the initiative is expected to come into effect this summer.

In a call for other home nations to follow suit, Andrew Goodacre (pictured), chief executive at Bira, said: "This is an excellent scheme to increase spending in local communities and we would now like to see England, Scotland and Wales follow with a similar initiative.

"Last summer, the hospitality industry had the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, now the independent retail sector needs the same support in a Shop Out to Help Out initiative."

Northern Ireland has also outlined the possibility of a holiday-at-home voucher to encourage tourism within the country this summer.

The rest of the UK is still yet to announce any replica of the schemes.