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Buying local: a trend worth following
For more tan a decade, DEV and various partners have been working together to promote local businesses. The Vaudreuil-Soulanges region offers a range of exceptional products and services. The various initiatives implemented and supported by the Retail and Food Services Sector Committee aim to showcase the full extent of this offering and its gems to the residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, thereby stimulating the regional economy. The impact of every dollar spent locally is crucial to the vitality, dynamism, and sustainable development of our region.
Consumers from Beauharnois-Salaberry, Haut-Saint-Laurent, and eastern Ontario used to come to Vaudreuil-Soulanges to shop and enjoy the businesses there. The pandemic had already hit our merchants hard, and the construction of the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge has affected them even more. Our diverse range of shops and restaurants is attractive to these consumers, and we are taking concrete steps to bring them back and make them regulars.
Direction Vaudreuil-Soulanges draws inspiration from familiar commercial vocabulary and uses both French and English, a strategic asset for the targeted areas. The campaign is designed to be timeless so that it can be used in any season. We want to deploy a striking graphic design with a consistent concept.
In 2014, Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CLD Vaudreuil-Soulanges at the time) and Les Manifestes joined forces to launch a local shopping campaign in the run-up to the holiday season to let Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents know where to eat, go out, shop, and pamper themselves. The campaign was called On s’emballe pour le shopping local (It’s time to get excited about local shopping), and the initiative continued in 2015, growing stronger and stronger.
The retail and restaurant industry committee, in collaboration with the CLD and CCIVS, aimed to transform the brand image to make it more neutral and applicable throughout the year, regardless of the season. In 2017, a new logo was introduced featuring the phrase “Fièrement Vaudreuil-Soulanges” (Proudly Vaudreuil-Soulanges). The advisory committee seeks to develop a network and encourage merchants and restaurant owners to join the On s’emballe VS movement. To support this, they have created a new initiative called the Rallye des commerçants et restaurateurs. This rally provides merchants with the opportunity to visit one another, allowing them to promote each other in their stores and restaurants. A total of 82 merchants and restaurant owners participated in this initiative.
DEV and CCIVS are once again joining forces to support local purchasing. Taking into account the exceptional circumstances surrounding COVID-19 for households and businesses, the campaign has been renamed Achat local VS.
Gift Cards and Enhanced Hello Campaign
In 2023, DEV launched a brand-new initiative for the Holiday season: a prepaid card program powered by Hello. This innovation allows consumers to support their favorite local businesses while enjoying a substantial bonus offered by DEV and local partners. The card can be used for shopping and dining at more than 100 businesses and restaurants in the region. A corporate option is also available for companies wishing to offer Hello cards to their employees — an original way to reward them while encouraging local shopping.
In February 2024, DEV was pleased to roll out a new tool to further promote local purchasing in Vaudreuil-Soulanges: the very first local gift card available year-round. At that time, the card was already accepted at over 115 businesses.