2. This is your BID
Our Focus
CH1ChesterBID is a business-led initiative that was voted for by the
businesses of Chester in September 2014. The BID runs for five years
and means that over the term approximately £2.5m will be generated
and reinvested back into the city centre, focusing on events, promotions,
marketing, city welcome and working together as one city with one voice.
There are currently over 500 businesses, with a rateable value of more than £18,000, situated within
the BID designated city area. Each of these members contribute a levy equal to 1% of their premises
rateable value every year to fund a wide range of improvements identified by the businesses
themselves and set out in our business plan.
Every item of expenditure has contributed towards achieving our goals of better promoting the city,
creating a warm city welcome and ultimately working together to make things happen.
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CH1ChesterBID will deliver
integrated marketing campaigns and
high quality events which will attract
more visitors to increase spend, stay
longer and repeat their experience in
our city.
Working together with key city
partners, CH1ChesterBID will invest
in a wide and varied programme of
maintenance and enhancements that
without BID funding could otherwise
not take place.
On behalf of all the BID members,
CH1ChesterBID will provide one voice
to be able to engage with the rest
of the city and raise the issues that
are important to you with key city
stakeholders.
3. BID DELIVERY BOARD
Ed Oliver Chairman
Eryl Edwards (VChair) Primark
Alison Duckworth Marketing Cheshire
Anthony Willder Chester Cathedral
Bob Lelliott Chester Against Business Crime
Caroline Sanger-Davies Chester Zoo
Paul Loughlin Cheshire Constabulary
Jason Ellison Chez Jules
Jonathan Slater Oddfellows Hotels
Julie Webb The Grosvenor Shopping Centre
Kath Briscoe Boots
BID TEAM
Nick White City Centre Manager
Emily Ghazarian Events Manager
Julie Charlton Marketing & Communications Manager
Louise Sullivan Office Manager
Tim Whistance Apprentice
It gives me great pleasure to present the
2015-2016 CH1ChesterBID Annual Review.
In our second year, we have accelerated our activity and progress to
continue to deliver a raft of projects and initiatives which have made a real
difference and impact to our city.
Key achievements include launching experiencechester.co.uk, a dedicated
consumer focused website that will allow us to promote the city and its
businesses direct to the public; Head Out Not Home, a marketing and
events campaign aimed at bridging the gap between the day and night-
time economy and the introduction of our friendly bowler hat wearing
Welcome Ambassadors to give visitors a warm welcome to Chester.
From a personal perspective it is with great pride and privilege that
I have been given the opportunity to manage CH1ChesterBID, widely
recognised as one of the leading Business Improvement Districts in the
UK. I have been extremely fortunate to inherit a professional team that are
dedicated to working with you to develop significant improvements and
enhancements to ensure our city continues to thrive.
As we move into Year Three of the BID I recognise that whilst we have
plenty to be proud of we also have plenty more work to do.
This is your BID. To get the most out of it, you need to be part of it. By
joining in with the events and activities, and working together, you will not
only get the most out of your investment, we will all be able to harness
further growth and success for our city centre.
We look forward to working with you.
Kay Cook (Co. Secretary) Oliver and Co
Jane Makin CWaC
Nick Harding Cruise
Peter Rosenfeld Busy Bus
Phil Dale Marks & Spencer
Phil Harris University of Chester
Phill Elliott Debenhams
Roger Gorham Bride Hall
Rupert Collis Grosvenor Estate
Tim Kenney Chester Business Club
Tony Kaye Kayes Jewellers
WELCOME AMBASSADORS
Luka Morrell
Monica Roman
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Carl Critchlow BID MANAGER
4. Tracking the impact
In 2016/17 the BID’s events, campaigns and activities will continue to be evaluated through the methods adopted in the
first two years. Footfall stats and other reports can be found at www.ch1chesterbid.co.uk
How we invested in Year 2 and looking ahead what we plan to spend in Year 3
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BID Income
Sept – Aug Sept – Aug
Actual Budget
Income from BID levy 446,000 449,750
Grants Receivable 77,083 75,421
Income from
Commercial Bookings 16,370 10,000
Income from voluntary
members/sponsorships 3,405 3,000
Other Income 7,200 960
C/F balance 103,762 54,000
Total Turnover 653,820 593,131
2016/172015/16 BID Expenditure
Sept – Aug Sept – Aug
Actual Budget
Business Savings 13,298 12,390
Marketing /PR 126,582 141,774
City Centre Events 178,924 159,627
Chester Welcome 154,494 157,568
One City One Voice 65,152 52,772
Operating Costs 61,370 47,523
Contingency 21,477
Total Expenditure 599,820 593,131
2016/172015/16
“Working in partnership with
CH1ChesterBID we have been able
to deliver a range of projects which
have driven footfall for the benefit
of our retailers. Initiatives such as
the Head Out Not Home campaign
have brought consumers into the
city at different times of day and
provided a host of new opportunities
for businesses in Chester.”
JULIE WEBB | GROSVENOR SHOPPING CENTRE
BID EVENTS AND PR CAMPAIGNS
l Footfall trends (e.g. week/event time period or year-on-year
analysis)
l Event attendance figures where relevant and possible to
record
l Anecdotal feedback and satisfaction from BID members,
partners and stakeholders
l Campaign/event specific visitor evaluation surveys
l Media value of local, regional and national press coverage
l Web analytics to campaign landing pages
l Social media interaction and reach
l Redemptions of any competitions or offers
l Retailer engagement levels
OTHER CITY CENTRE PERFORMANCE
l Monthly footfall and sales tracking
l Continued development of our Welcome Ambassadors in
terms of feedback, training and visitor interactions
l Benchmarking against other BIDS
l Chester Visitor surveys carried out by survey experts
LJ Research
5. experiencechester.co.uk the ‘go to’ website for
shopping, dining, attractions and what’s on in
Chester city centre was launched, giving all BID
members an enhanced online listing and the ability
to promote offers.
Funded a directory listing for every business
on the ‘Shop in Chester’ micro website found within
www.visitchester.com and the functionality to add city
events. (valued £300)
Chester Fiesta, a summer marketing campaign was launched
to promote Summer activities in Chester.
Launched ‘Head out Not Home’ campaign to help
bridge the gap between the day and evening
economy between 5 – 8pm
Regular e-newsletters and printed communications
to all BID members which feature city centre news,
footfall figures, events and issues affecting business.
Consumer e-blasts targeting your business promotions and
offers and promoting city centre what’s on and news.
CH1CHESTER BID
SIGNPOSTING PEOPLE
AROUND THE CITY.
Highlights of the year
Play
Dine
Shop
2056
likes
Social media
promotion for
your business
4059
followers
MARKETING
6. 412Media cuttings
(coverage from outlets including
ITV Granada, Daily Mirror, Daily
Express, BBC North West Tonight,
Daily Mirror, The Sun, BBC Radio
Merseyside, Capital FM, Dee 106.3
Radio, The Chester Chronicle and
The Chester Standard)
£672,000Advertising Value
Equivalent (AVE)
£2m+PR Value
Working together
with Visit Chester
and Cheshire West
and Chester Council
to support destination
campaigns to promote
the wider Chester events
and initiatives
21.6mOpportunities to See
(OTS)
PR
7. Experience a day to remember
We have delivered targeted, seasonal marketing campaigns promoting
city centre events and in-store activities across all media platforms.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
l A trilogy of Deva Codex city wide mystery quests across the city as
part of Chester Unlocked campaign to successfully mix history and
heritage amongst our vibrant city centre businesses.
l Halloween: Over October half term, we delivered 7 days of FREE
family friendly spooktacular activities including ghost tours, film
screenings, craft workshops, creepy crawly roadshow, chocolate
workshop and more.
l Easter Extravaganza - a three week festival packed
with 30 family friendly activities taking place across
the city including a city wide trail, quiz, competition,
films and workshops.
Engaging 45 BID members through our...
l Teaming up with the Chester Food and Drink Festival to showcase
the talents of our city centre restaurants and compete for the title
of CH1ChesterBID Sous Chef of the Year judged by Masterchef’s
Gregg Wallace.
l Dinosaurs were BIG in Chester this Summer as we delivered a
‘dino’-mite trek to encourage visitors to find Jurassic Facts and
Fossils across the city centre businesses.
l Following a mystery shopping visit, businesses from across Chester
city centre were rewarded and recognised for excellence in Customer
Service with our CH1ChesterBID 2015 Customer Service Awards.
What’s going
to happen in
Year Three
l Continued seasonal marketing
activity and events aimed at key
consumers from targeted areas to
encourage footfall and spend in the
city.
l Building on the success of our
Head Out Not Home Initiatives
aimed at bridging the gap between
5-7pm during the summer,
through various activities
including live music and family
entertainment.
l Development of Experience
Chester website with focus on
working with small, independent
businesses and food and drink.
l We will continue to work with
our PR agency on positive stories
to promote our businesses, the
BID’s work and raise the profile of
Chester city centre.
Christmas in
Chester unwrapped!
Our magical Chester Kidsmas campaign was
jam packed with a five-week programme of
FREE family friendly activities. Visitors were
enchanted by the unique Santa’s Post Office
on Northgate Street and literally couldn’t
believe their eyes with our ‘magic’ glasses!
Our resident Chester elf chELFie made a
much welcome return joined by his female
companion ELFie who proved equally
popular delighting children and adults alike.
Festive film screenings, a themed light
switch on parade, competitions and even a
visit from the Coca Cola truck all added to
the fantastic festivities. Chester
Kidsmas was supported by a fully
integrated marketing campaign
including local & regional press,
radio advertising, online and
social media activity.
Ches{er
Kidsmas
EVENTS
8. Welcome to Chester
Ensuring visitors to Chester receive a world class welcome in a
clean and safe environment will encourage them to stay longer and
continue to return to our great city time and again.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2015/16 INCLUDE:
l Our summer planting scheme on Foregate Street saw us brighten
up one of the main thoroughfares into the city.
l CH1ChesterBID helped fund the renovation of the Bars and
Fountains subways. The work included a deep cleanse, painting
programme and upgrading of the lighting system. In partnership
with Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) the subways are
now subject to an enhanced inspection and maintenance regime.
l The historic Rows are a unique feature of Chester.
CH1ChesterBID undertook a programme of work to improve
the quality of its environs. This included introduction of “no
smoking” signs, pigeon proofing and trialling new deep cleansing
techniques.
l The BID have purchased a specialist gum removal machine
which, in partnership with CWaC will see a rolling programme of
gum removal introduced firstly on the rows then throughout the
city.
l CH1ChesterBID has instigated a joint programme of works to
address the feral pigeon problem in the city. Working with CWaC
and CH1 BID members pigeon proofing works commenced in
August, with a more comprehensive programme planned for the
forthcoming year
l Support for the Street Pastors has helped them to keep the city
and its visitors safe throughout the night.
l Introduction of Christmas lights on Pepper Street to light up the
new restaurant quarter
Meet Monica and Luka...
One of the most successful BID achievements over the past twelve
months is the introduction of our Welcome Ambassadors. Speaking
seven languages between them Monica and Luka have become an
irreplaceable fixture in Chester greeting both visitors and locals
while building relationships with our BID businesses.
As well as providing a personal Chester welcome Monica and
Luka are the BIDs eyes and ears in the city, reporting anti-social
behaviour, illegal street activity and environmental issues to ensure
the city is a safe, clean and attractive place for visitors.
1,734intelligence tallies
logged (eg. chuggers,
commercial waste,
illegal street trading)
24,556customer
interactions
5,212courtesy business
visits
92environmental
issues reported
82cleansing issues
reported
206anti-social behaviour
issues reported
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9. “Over the last 12 months, our
partnership with CH1ChesterBID
has gone from strength to strength
and enabled us to deliver real cost
savings to Chester businesses.”
DAMIEN SAMSON | POWER SOLUTIONS
We are committed to ensuring visitors have the best
possible experience when visiting Chester. Over the next
year we will look to build on successful initiatives such
as our floral displays by extending these to more parts of
the city and introducing a Christmas lighting installation
on a scale never seen in Chester before.
In support of our night time economy we will continue
our support for the Street Pastors as well as working
with city partners such as CWaC, the Police and other
stakeholders to help Chester to achieve Purple Flag
status, the nationally recognised benchmark for late
night economies.
The BID will support a specialist cleansing programme
on the Rows and wider city while tackling the appearance
of empty units through window wrapping.
BUSINESS SAVINGS
Among the many benefits of being a member of
CH1ChesterBID is the opportunity to save your business
money. Through our group of specialist preferred
partners we have committed to helping businesses drive
down their costs.
l Total business savings to date are now over £180,000.
l In the last twelve months fourteen BID businesses
have signed contracts with our preferred waste
collector B&M to the value of £30,000, these contracts
have delivered savings of over £3000.
l Since its introduction businesses have saved over
£50,000 using our preferred utility broker Power
Solutions.
l With a combined saving of over £100,000, 400 BID
businesses have been registered on the Shop in
Chester website which receives over 100,000 visits per
month, this service would usually cost each business
£300 per year.
l Subsidised advertising rates available within the
subway and 40% savings on city centre commercial
sites.
Committed to supporting you 2016/2017
2016/17 - We will continue to investigate new and
innovative ways to save businesses money. Free access for
all BID members to a HR/Health and Safety helpline with
a value of £400 per year will be launched while a free staff
perks scheme which will help businesses attract and retain
staff is currently under development.
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10. Communication is key – supporting businesses on the
issues that matter to them while ensuring they are kept
up to date with the latest city developments is a key
role for CH1ChesterBID.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2015/2016 INCLUDE:
l Hosted a number of regular drop in sessions giving businesses
the opportunity to meet the team and raise the issues that
matter the most to them.
l Employed a modern apprentice to support the CH1ChesterBID
team and engage with the public on behalf of businesses.
l Introduced a rolling programme of visits from our Welcome
Ambassadors to ensure businesses are kept up to the date with
BID activities while having the chance to raise any issues.
l Facilitated a host of meetings and drop in sessions with CWaC
and other city stakeholders to give businesses the chance to
have their say on issues such as road works and the busking
code of conduct.
l Negotiated extended hours park and ride service in
partnership with CWaC to support this summer’s Head
Out Not Home Campaign.
l Our City Centre Manager worked closely with the
Police, Council and other key stakeholders to support
“Operation Breakdown”. The operation aims to address
issues around begging, street drinking and anti-social
behaviour. Through statements and intelligence provided
by CH1ChesterBID, the initiative led to 16 arrests for
illegal street activity and five persistent offenders being
issued with Community Behaviour Orders.
One City One Voice
“The support provided by CH1ChesterBID
helps us to keep the streets of Chester safe
for both visitors and locals alike. Through
the BID we are now able to engage with
businesses more effectively which helps us
to identify and tackle the issues that matter
most to them.”
PAUL LOUGHLIN | CHESHIRE POLICE
2016/2017 will see us continue to build relationships
with key stakeholders around the city to ensure the
views of businesses are taken into account.
We will redevelop our CH1ChesterBID.co.uk
website giving us a platform for business to
business communication and a regular engagement
programme will mean the BID is always accessible
to its members.
Introduce a BID member voluntary pack and update
welcome information.
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11. 11
“Being a new business in
Chester, I joined CH1ChesterBID
as a voluntary member. I feel
that the help, guidance and
marketing advice they offered
has been invaluable.”
KATIE | WEASEL AND THE BUG
2016 has certainly been a very busy year for
CH1ChesterBID, building on the momentum of
success from our first year we have continued to
invest in projects and initiatives which benefit our
businesses and Chester city centre.
A number of key personnel changes has given us the opportunity to review our
activities and I believe we are now perfectly positioned to continue building for
the future.
Chester’s future is positive and bright. Footfall in the city centre has been steadily
increasing and Chester has repeatedly been named amongst the best places to
live in the country. Looking forward to 2017, never has there been a more exciting
time to be a business in Chester.
Projects such as the new bus terminal and the redevelopment of Frodsham
Street will improve access to the city and stimulate investment. The first stages
of the long awaited Northgate Development will send the message that Chester
is committed to once again becoming a leading retail destination without
sacrificing everything people love about this great city.
The opening of the new Storyhouse Cultural Centre, next Spring, has the
potential to change the whole dynamic of the city by bringing people into the city
at traditionally quiet times.
CH1ChesterBID are committed to helping business embrace these changes and
take advantage of new opportunities however this can only be done with your
support. I encourage all BID business to work and engage with the BID team as
together we can succeed in making Chester the destination of choice.
On behalf of myself and my fellow directors I would like to thank everybody who
has supported CH1ChesterBID over the last 12 months and look forward to
supporting CH1ChesterBID businesses and our great city.
Ed Oliver CHAIRMAN CH1CHESTERBID
12. This is your BID. Together we want to create and promote a thriving city
centre and with your help we can really make things happen!
CHECKLIST
4 Make sure that your contact details are current and up to date so that
we can keep you informed of the latest news and updates in the city
centre that affect your business.
4 Send us your news, events and offers to promote your business to our
e-database of engaged consumers.
4 Get involved and sign up to our high quality city centre events and
marketing campaigns to help drive potential new customers through
your door.
4 Encourage your customers to find out everything they need to know
about Chester via the experiencechester.co.uk website.
4 Find out more about how our business saving initiatives can help save
your business money.
GET IN TOUCH, CONTACT US
The CH1ChesterBID team are always on hand to speak to you about how
you can get involved. For an informal chat please contact us on
01244 403680 or via email info@ch1chesterbid.co.uk
Thank you to Chester’s local businesses, for saying YES
to your Business Improvement District.
CH1ChesterBID
#ExperienceChester
@CH1Chester
CH1 Chester BID Company | 9 Lower Bridge Street | Chester | CH1 1RS
T. 01244 403680 E. info@ch1chesterbid.co.uk www.ch1chesterbid.co.uk
