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GrazGutschein with sales growth again in 2024!

A hand holds three 10 Euro Graz Gutscheine, with the Mur river and a building in the background.
@ Holding Graz

With almost 1000 partner businesses, the GrazGutschein, which has been managed by Holding Graz since 2020, is now the largest municipal voucher system in Austria. With 9.29 million euros in GrazGutschein vouchers sold, Holding Graz 2024 achieved another sales success. An important economic factor for the Styrian capital and a strong signal for the businesses in Graz.

Despite the generally difficult economic situation in Austria in 2024 as a result of weakening economic growth, sales of GrazGutschein vouchers in Austria’s second largest city have risen again, as a look at the latest figures from Holding Graz confirms: 9.29 million euros in GrazGutschein vouchers sold is a new sales success and an increase of 0.83% or 76,000 euros compared to 2023. After the exceptional year 2021 (corona subsidies) with sales of 12.6 million euros, 2024 is thus the second strongest sales year in the 20-year history of the GrazGutschein voucher.

The development of the print@home voucher was also pleasing: it also recorded an increase of 3.08% compared to 2023.

Strong Christmas business

In November and December 2024 alone, 4.9 million euros were generated from the sale of GrazGutschein vouchers. This underlines the importance of the season before Christmas, when Holding Graz traditionally implements its broad-based campaign for the GrazGutschein via radio, TV, print, out-of-home and increasingly in the digital segment.

Important location factor

With around 1000 partner businesses, the GrazGutschein has now become the largest municipal voucher system in Austria and thus an important economic factor for the Styrian capital. City Councillor for Economic Affairs Günter Riegler: ‘The GrazGutschein is the currency of Graz businesses. Especially in times of crisis, it plays an important role because every euro really does stay in our city. This strengthens the business location – and thus also secures jobs.’ In 2024, around 8.9 million euros were redeemed at GrazGutschein partner businesses, in 2022 even around 11.9 million euros. Around 94 per cent of vouchers are redeemed in the year following their purchase.

More regional partner businesses from different sectors

The GrazGutschein is also making progress beyond the sales success, as Holding Graz Head of Marketing Richard Peer explains: ‘In 2024, we welcomed more than 1,000 partner businesses to our network for the first time. In 2022, there were still 600 businesses where the voucher could be redeemed. The GrazGutschein is therefore becoming increasingly popular as a means of payment and we are continuing to invest heavily in partnerships with retailers and local businesses.’

In concrete terms, the partner businesses now include not only the Graz farmers’ markets and numerous market stalls in the city centre, but also local suppliers and supermarkets in many districts of Graz. Agreements have been reached with Spar, Interspar, Billa, Hofer, Lidl and Penny: they have been GrazGutschein partner businesses since 2024. Smaller regional businesses such as the butchers Rinner, Feiertag and Mosshammer as well as pharmacies and drugstores now also accept GrazGutschein vouchers as a means of payment. Energie Graz also allows electricity bills to be paid with GrazGutscheine.