New Group Collection Option for Bradford Gift Card Launched

Local initiative aims to support city centre businesses through teacher gifts

A new partnership has introduced a group collection feature for the Bradford City Centre Gift Card, allowing people to pool contributions online without fees. The move comes ahead of the end of the school term, a period when many parents traditionally buy gifts for teachers.

Details of the group collection system

The collaboration between Bradford BID, Miconex, and GiftRound enables organisers to set up group collections for the Bradford City Centre Gift Card. Once the collection closes, the digital gift card can be sent either directly to the organiser with a printable version or to individual recipients along with messages from contributors. Collections can also be divided among multiple gifts or recipients.

About the Bradford City Centre Gift Card

Delivered by Bradford BID, the gift card is accepted at over 120 local businesses. These include national chains such as Primark, JD Sports, and Nando’s, as well as independent outlets like Pizza Pieces, The Alhambra, and Blossoms.

Context and potential impact

• There are an estimated 4.5 million children in state-funded primary schools across the UK.
• Parents reportedly spend an average of £9.06 on teacher gifts at the end of the school term.
• If just 10% of families purchase gifts, this equates to over £4 million spent on teacher gifts nationally at the end of term and again at Christmas.

The partnership aims to redirect some of this spending into the local economy through the Bradford City Centre Gift Card.

Broader use and technology background

The group collecting platform GiftRound, founded in 2018, facilitates fee-free collections for various occasions, including teacher gifts, weddings, and new babies. To date, over 175,000 collections have been created on the platform, with more than £9 million in gift cards and vouchers ordered.

Miconex, which manages the gift card network, reported over £24 million in local gift card sales across the UK in 2025, marking a 60% increase from 2024.

Comments from involved parties

Nikki Chadburn, Business Communications Manager at Bradford BID, said the gift card is popular for gifts, rewards, and incentives, and that the new group collection feature will be useful for various occasions beyond teacher gifts. She highlighted the importance of keeping spending local to support city centre businesses.

Craig Forsythe, CEO and founder of GiftRound, noted that gifts for teachers are among the platform’s most popular collections. He explained that group contributions allow teachers to receive a single gift card rather than multiple individual presents.

David O’Neil, Chief Customer and Growth Officer at Miconex, described the Bradford Gift Card as a key ‘shop local’ tool and welcomed the new technology’s launch in time for the end of term.