Unió Gremial presented the new campaign to promote local commerce in Benissa through consumer vouchers, whose registration period is open until August 16. For Manuela Baidal Ivars, president of the Association of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of Benissa (ACEB), these types of actions “help us compete with large stores due to the personalized treatment, trust and guarantee that we offer. In addition, it is important to bet on local commerce because we all win. If there are stores in the town there are people, life, employment and money that stays here to circulate in the same municipality, like a chain”.
Proximity, occupation, wealth and sustainability are elements that differentiate the local economy, "because a specialized service is offered, treating the client closely and listening to them to advise them appropriately", Baidal details. The association that he chairs is part of this campaign, which is led by the Benissa City Council thanks to a grant from the Alicante Provincial Council, and has the technical support of Unió Gremial. In this sense, he stresses that "it is important that trade is associated because together we can achieve more advantages." An example is the service enabled for men and women over 65 years of age, who will collect their card in person at CREAMA from the 16th of this month. Thus, on August 10, 11 and 12 they have the possibility of making an appointment by calling 613331719 to carry out some telematic procedures. An option to bridge the digital gap between the elderly group.
Thanks to commercial proposals like this one, the benefits of joining Unió Gremial are shown, because “any problem or doubt that arises we can call and they solve it for us, in addition to the help they give us to request subsidies with which to advertise our associates or launch promotional campaigns like this one”, says Manuela Baidal. The Association of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of Benissa (ACEB) that he presides over is a group of companies, shops and businesses that have a common goal: to encourage economic activity in the town. It has a hundred associates and its board of directors is made up of five women, each with their respective business and company, completed by Josefa Giner Font as secretary; María Josefa Devesa Ivars in treasury; and María José Capo Vidal and Silvia López Pinilla as members.
The ACEB has been part of Unió Gremial since March 2021. Its president explains that “the need to be informed about the subsidies, and to know what other associations were doing was what prompted us to sign up. We intended to grow and do new campaigns, but we didn't have that knowledge and support." Thus, thanks to this adhesion, initiatives like this have been carried out to encourage local commerce in the municipality worth 150.000 euros. All thanks to the collaboration agreement between the Benissa City Council and Unió Gremial signed on July 18, by which the Benissa Town Hall undertakes to put consumer bonds into circulation. "One of the most important things about vouchers is that people who have never bought in the town will have a good opportunity and we can still retain them," says the president of the ACEB.
The signing of this agreement was carried out in the premises of the Benissa City Council, by Arturo Poquet, mayor of the municipality, and Juan Motilla, president of Unió Gremial. Likewise, Isabel Bou Ivars, mayor of Commerce of Benissa, and Vanessa Cárdenas, vice president of Unió Gremial, were also present at the event. To be part of this initiative you must register through the web portal or by contacting the Department of Commerce AFIC-CREAMA and Unió Gremial on the phone 613331719. Likewise, from September 1 to 30 is the date set to spend the cards in businesses that have joined this campaign to promote consumption in local businesses.
On the other hand, for the residents of Benissa, the delivery of cards by appointment will be made from August 16 and will end as soon as they are finished, with a deadline of August 30. In general, the entire procedure will be done by requesting an appointment through the web portal enabled for this purpose and the payment of the 50 will be in person.
“With the health crisis, small businesses have seen the need to update in the technological field accelerate, causing many to begin that much-needed change. And it is that local commerce is constantly evolving. The change has been important due to necessity. In this way, now each business or company has its website, online store or virtual showcase. In addition, the presence on social networks has increased notably in the last two years”, explained Manuela Baidal Ivars, president of the Association of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of Benissa (ACEB).
