RETAIL BIRMINGHAM SECURES ITS SECOND TERM
RB News
Retail Birmingham, the Business Improvement District (BID) for the city centre’s retailers, has today secured its second five year term, BID2, following an independent ballot of its members, allowing the organisation to continue to serve the retail community until 2017.
Set up in 2007 by the city’s retailers, the positive vote of 74% in favour will allow the not-for-profit limited company to continue to support and promote its members at a pivotal time for retail and transport development in the city.
Commenting on Retail Birmingham’s positive BID2 Renewal Ballot result, Jonathan Cheetham, Chair of Retail Birmingham and General Manager at The Pallasades shopping centre said:
“This is a fantastic result and a real milestone in affirming the good work that has already been delivered by Retail Birmingham, as well as securing the future of the city’s robust retail offering.
“Since its inception, Retail Birmingham has worked tirelessly to serve the retail community through promoting, enhancing and developing the shopping, living and leisure experience in the city centre. We have delivered promotional campaigns and established major retail events such as Style Birmingham LIVE and Celebration of Independents that have brought thousands of visitors into the city centre, worked behind the scenes for the benefit of our members, helped to keep our streets clean and safe through the delivery of a Street Warden service, as well as working with Birmingham City Council to help create a walkable, world-class and connected city centre.
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to carry this work through into the next five years for the good of the city centre retail economy.”
Over the next five years Birmingham will see unprecedented levels of investment with the redevelopment of New Street Station and extension of the Midlands Metro system to name only a few. Retail Birmingham has already carried out significant work to give the city centre’s retailers a voice during this time and, with BID2 now secured, will continue to ensure that it is ‘business as usual’ for its members during this time.
From April 2011 when the new term begins, Retail Birmingham believes that ‘promoting’ the Retail BID area will be key in continuing to build the Style Birmingham consumer brand to attract visitors into the city centre, as well as offering local marketing solutions for its members, creating top-quality national marketing campaigns for Birmingham and building on promotion of the city centre’s unique independent offering.
The organisation also pledges to ‘enhance’ the Retail BID area by delivering high-quality events such as Style Birmingham LIVE to animate the Retail BID, continuing to develop the Street Warden service and keep business crime and perceptions of crime low and acting quickly to promote confidence. Retail Birmingham will also continue to tackle street nuisances to enhance visitors’ emotional experience when in the city. By reducing the number of ‘human signs’ and charity data collectors the organisation hopes to improve the experience on the streets and keep Birmingham in its place as one of the top shopping destinations in the UK.
Finally, Retail Birmingham will continue to focus on ‘developing’ the Retail BID area to ensure the city centre remains open during the many construction works and offering rapid and personal levels of support to its members at this crucial time.
Leave a comment