Chester businesses are in the running to be named UK’s Favourite Local Business

The UK’s Favourite Local Business 2026 competition gives people the chance to nominate their favourite Chester business and win a share of £2,000 in Town & City Gift Cards.

Chester businesses are in the spotlight this month as the UK’s Favourite Local Business 2026 competition launches, with Chester BID encouraging residents and visitors to nominate the local businesses they love.

The free-to-enter competition gives people the opportunity to nominate a favourite local business and explain why they think it deserves to be recognised. Shops, restaurants, salons, hotels, attractions and other local services across Chester are all eligible.

There are £2,000 worth of Town & City Gift Cards up for grabs, with the business receiving the most nominations nationally winning a £1000 Town & City Gift Card. Those who voted for the winner will also be in with the chance to win a £1,000 Town & City Gift Card for nominating.

Chester BID is also offering a £500 Chester Gift Card to the city business with the most nominations in the competition. If this is also the business which wins UK’s Favourite Local Business overall, the £500 Chester Gift Card prize will go to the Chester business with the second highest number of nominations in the competition.

Introduced in 2020, the Chester Gift Card can now be spent at more than 150 businesses across the city, spanning national brands including Lush, Marks & Spencer, Reiss and Sweaty Betty, alongside independent businesses such as Chester Boutique, Chapters Book Bar, Suzie K and Pastry Pédaleur. Participating businesses also include hotels such as The Chester Grosvenor and The Hotel Chester, salons including The Scented Garden Retreat and Your Chester Spa, attractions such as Picturehouse, Storyhouse, The Hole In Wand and Chester Boat, and eateries including Chez Jules, Zügers, Hickory’s Smokehouse, Artezzan and Upstairs at the Grill.

Chester’s city centre businesses are at the heart of what makes our city so special, and we want to see them get the recognition they deserve.

We’re backing The UK’s Favourite Local Business 2026 competition as it’s a fantastic opportunity to put Chester’s businesses firmly in the spotlight nationally. It’s free to nominate and over £2,000 in Town & City Gift Cards up for grabs. So, if there’s a Chester business you love, take a moment to nominate them and show your support, it could make a real difference.

Both physical and digital versions of the card are available for customers as gifts and organisations as rewards. As the Chester Gift Card can only be spent with registered businesses in Chester, it provides tangible support for local businesses.

The Chester Gift Card is part of the multi-award winning Town & City Gift Cards concept from fintech Miconex. Over 27,000 local businesses are part of Miconex’s local gift card programs around the world with over £69m of cards sold to date.

Support for local is strong in the UK. In our 2026 research, 99% of people said supporting local is important to them and 73% said it has become more important over the past 12 months.

Nominating your favourite local business, whether that’s your local pub, salon, shop, restaurant, cinema or coffee shop is a free and easy way to show your support for a local businesses you think deserves recognition.