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Search to find favorite local US business launches as 'shop local' support soars

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 — 17:10:14 (UTC)

National search to find the USA’s Favorite Local Business 2026 as ‘shop local’ support soars

The competition aims to shine a light on the local businesses making a positive impact on communities, with $2,000 in Downtown Gift Cards as the prize

Liberec, Czech Republic, Sept. 15, 2026—Miconex has launched its 2026 search to find the USA’s Favorite Local Business to champion local businesses in the run up to the holidays.

The competition aims to highlight the positive impact that local businesses have on local communities. Retail, hospitality, accommodation, leisure, health and beauty and service based businesses are all eligible to be nominated.

The USA’s Favorite Local Business will be the business who has the most nominations at lovelocalwin.com and will win $1,000 in Downtown Gift Cards for one of around 30 downtowns in the USA, with one person who nominated the winner receiving $1,000 in Downtown Gift Cards.

Over 27,000 businesses are part of Miconex’s local gift card programs globally, with over $92m in local spend through the cards. Downtown Gift Cards bring together an array of local businesses into one gift card, providing tangible support for local, and are delivered in the USA in association with payments technology solutions provider EML Payments.

In 2026 Downtown Gift Cards research with over 1,000 people, 98% of respondents in the USA said supporting local businesses and their community was important and 73% said supporting local businesses has become more important over the past 12 months.

Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex, said: “There are around 36 million small businesses in the USA, accounting for 99.9% of businesses in the country. Local businesses are the backbone of our communities and they need our support more than ever, and so we’re pleased to launch the USA’s Favorite Local Business for 2026 so we can shine a light on the positive impact our local shops, restaurants, hotels, attractions, salons and services have on our economy, and on the vibrancy of our local communities.”

Enter the USA’s Favorite Local Business competition free at: www.lovelocalwin.com and watch the video.

The competition closes on November 30th 2026.

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For press queries, please contact Kelly Topping, Miconex: kellytopping@mi-cnx.com

About Miconex: Miconex’s mission is simple: providing communities with a tangible means to retain spend in their local area by diverting spend back into local businesses of all types and sizes, helping people to explore the places where they live and work, and positively connect with their community. By amplifying the local proposition, Miconex makes local shopping not only easy for customers but desirable, driving the evolution of high streets and downtowns worldwide.

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Source: Company press release.

Categories: Announcement