People across the Highlands are being encouraged to get behind their favourite Inverness city centre businesses as a national competition searches for the UK’s Favourite Local Business of 2026.
Shops, cafes, restaurants, hotels, salons, attractions and local services across the city centre can all be nominated, with the competition remaining open until 30 November.
The idea is simple, with people asked to name their favourite Inverness business and explain what makes it special to them.
The business receiving the most nominations nationally will receive a £1,000 Town & City Gift Card, while one person who nominated the eventual winner will also receive £1,000.
In Inverness that prize could be provided through the Inverness City Centre Gift Card, which was launched by Inverness BID to encourage people to keep more of their spending within the Highland economy.
Around 180 businesses currently accept the card, bringing together major national names and a substantial number of independent Highland businesses.
Participating businesses include M&S, New Look and The Perfume Shop alongside local names including Begg Shoes, Number 27 Bar & Kitchen, Scotch & Rye, City Florists and Oil & Vinegar.
The Inverness scheme was launched in 2022 and forms part of the wider Town & City Gift Cards initiative operated by Miconex.
More than 27,000 businesses around the world now participate in Miconex local gift card programmes.
For Inverness BID, however, the national competition offers something beyond the prospect of winning a prize because every nomination provides an opportunity to put a Highland business in the national spotlight.
Margaret Laws, deputy manager at Inverness BID, said:
“We’re delighted to back the UK’s Favourite Local Business 2026 to showcase our local businesses, many of which are part of our Inverness City Centre Gift Card.
“Whether it’s your favourite restaurant, the coffee shop where you’re always greeted with a smile, the independent retailer with the unique finds, or your local salon, take a moment to nominate them.
“Local businesses need our support and by nominating them you can shine a light on their business and potentially win a share of £2,000 in Inverness City Centre Gift Cards.”
Nominations are free and can be submitted through the Love Local Win competition website
There is no shortage of potential contenders in the Highland capital, from long established family businesses to restaurants, cafes and independent shops which have become familiar parts of everyday life.
Now the people who use them have until 30 November to make the case for their favourite and potentially put a Highland business at the top of the national competition.
