WE'RE all feeling the pinch...so now the Post is getting behind a new council-backed Loyalty Card giving you the chance to hit back against the credit crunch.

The card will give you the kind of real perks that will help keep any extra cash in your pocket. Card users will earn discounts at a range of top-name businesses in the city centre. It forms a key part of the Premier City campaign designed to focus attention on the essential role the city centre has to play and pulling out all the stops to preserve it for future generations.

The City & County of Swansea, City Centre Management team and the Business Improvement District group have teamed up with us to kick-start the discount card. Retailers are already signing up to it ahead of its official launch in the Post in a fortnight's time. The simple-to-use offers will include everything from moneyoff discounts for card holders to 'buy one, get one free' deals. The March 5 edition of the paper will carry in it the free card you will be able to use from that day onwards.

SWW Media advertisement director Lisa Cameron says it is hoped the project will help put more money back into the local economy.

"Small businesses are not just a part of the local community, they are the local community," she adds. "They generate wealth, employment and opportunity and are the glue which binds communities together."

A string of well-known business names has already signed up to the deal. Now its backers are inviting other outlets in the city centre to be part of the loyalty scheme.

Sharon Begley of The Lighting Company in Craddock Street, which will be offering a huge 15 per cent money-off deal as part of the new card, says it is what shoppers are after.

"It is a great initiative," she adds, "and I am certain it will bring in new customers through the door."

And Alison Bowden at Vogue Interiors in Swansea's Kingsway, where there will be a 10 per cent discount on offer, says the city still has plenty to shout about in terms of service.

"And it's deals like this that drive that message home.

"Independent businesses have so much to offer and this is a new way of getting people into our shops to show them exactly that."

City centre manager Daniel Jones says he is pleased so many businesses are getting on board.

"Interest in the scheme is growing on a daily basis and I think that says a lot about how the businesses are working together during these difficult times to attract shoppers," he adds.

"Our intention by introducing the loyalty card with support from the Evening Post and Swansea BID is to entice people back into the city centre to take advantage of the great offers available to them. We're doing all we can to help our traders during tough economic times when city centre shops face stiff competition from out-of-town retail parks and internet shopping, and the loyalty card is just one of a number of initiatives. The loyalty card scheme will benefit both traders and shoppers by attracting more footfall and giving people access to great discounts in a range of shops and other businesses."

Are you a city centre business? Want to get on board with the card? Contact the Post's classified telesales manager Amanda Beynon on 01792 514548 or email her at: amanda.beynon@swwmedia. co.uk to find out how.