Meet the Retail District Award shortlist

Entries to the Retail District category of the 2023 Good Retail Awards have showcased many impressive examples of innovation to benefit retailers, customers and the industry as a whole.

We would like to take the time to say thank you to all who entered. The number of inspirational stories shared by so many in the industry made it a privilege (and a real challenge!) to narrow them down to the final shortlist.

The Retail District Award recognises retail areas that are producing innovative campaigns and exciting customer-centric initiatives to create a buzz around the retail stores in their area.

Modern Retail is delighted to announce the official shortlist for the Good Retail Awards’ Retail District Award.

The Retail District Award shortlist

The Retail District Award shortlist is as follows:

Brighton BID

Brighton BID’s approach to creating a safe, unique and enjoyable local area, as well as supporting and providing opportunities for the businesses in the local area has had a significant impact.

From stand-out calendar events, including the Brilliant Brighton festive shopping afternoon that accompanied the Christmas light switch-on in 2022, to decorating the city in the summer months, Brighton BID works around the year to engage people. As an example, in summer, they dress the city with bunting and hanging baskets that are available to their 517 businesses and commission local artists to create banner artwork that becomes the backdrop to Brighton Festival in May.

Brighton BID has created a ‘daytime’ security presence, with two teams of officers patrolling the BID area, as well as a ‘night-time’ element consisting of a Mobile Support Unit. Their Ambassadors provide support for anti-social behaviour in the BID area, making every visit enjoyable and safe for both retailers and customers alike. They have worked to keep the appearance of the City Centre continuously at the highest possible standard, with additional jet cleansing and graffiti and sticker removal in the BID area.

Brighton BID also collaborates with partner organisations, including Brighton & Hove City Council and Visit Brighton, for a joined up approach to make sure their members are included in decisions. Their work includes sourcing offers for businesses to help save them money; from reduced NCP parking for members and their teams, to free business health checks, saving members up to £1,000 on utility bills. Communication with members includes weekly emails and quarterly printed newsletters to keep everyone in the loop of activities and how they can get involved in projects.

Hammersmith BID

Hammersmith BID has worked to make Hammersmith a greener, more resilient, welcoming and desirable place to work, live and visit.

Sustainability and addressing air quality has been a top priority for Hammersmith BID, buying all equipment and products through zero-emissions transportation and encouraging shoppers to travel via greener methods. This concept is supported by Parcels Not Pollution; Hammersmith BID’s zero-emissions delivery service that uses e-cargo bikes to reduce air pollution. Their messages around sustainable travel have also frequently been supported by the presence of a bike mechanic service; Dr Bike and e-bike and e-scooter training.

In addition to this, their Zero-Emissions Markets have been designed to provide a platform for entrepreneurs and small business owners in the borough. Almost 100 local CMEs have traded at these markets to date. This initiative has helped to support businesses producing locally made and sustainable products with free opportunities for trading, while encouraging shoppers to be sustainably-minded when shopping.

Another goal of Hammersmith BID was to explore various locations and energise lesser-used spaces. Building on this success, their project has continued to lend itself to reinvigorating vacant units within the local shopping centre.

Wimborne BID

Wimborne BID created a Christmas film to market the town, encourage people to support local and encourage people to visit Wimborne. This is the fifth year that they have created a Christmas film, helping people to re-discover the incredible businesses on offer in the area.

The 90-second Christmas film was called ‘Fall in Love with Wimborne this Christmas’ and featured two people meeting and falling in love in Wimborne. Each scene was shot in front of businesses in the town, showcasing the range and diversity on offer with around 50 businesses being shown. In all promotion, the hashtag #FallInLoveWimborne was used, with the film generating around 14,000 viewers across social media platforms, as well as having a reach of more than 18,000 on Facebook alone.

This creative idea brought positive promotion for the town, showing off the fantastic range and quality of the various businesses in Wimborne.

Worcester BID

Worcester BID has introduced a range of initiatives to support local businesses. Known for being a forward-thinking creative hub, 68% of their retailers are independents,many of which embody the same beliefs. 

Their approach to reversing declining footfall has included business support, new co-working spaces, marketing and brand development, as well as a vibrant events calendar to make the city come alive, as well as ensuring a warm welcome for tourists and residents.

One of Worcester BID’s infrastructure improvements includes adding festoon lighting to keep visibility high, which has worked to ensure a safe, comfortable experience, while adding a touch of elegance to the area. This has successfully improved footfall, with the addition of colourful lampshades in 2022 to enhance the appeal further.Bringingg in safety initiatives, Worcester BID has trained hundreds of businesses in the city in first aid, major injury response, the use of AEDs and much more, alongside the installation of 5 AEDs into the city, which has proven to be life-saving after saving the life of somebody in a local hotel bar just a week after installation. 

The additions by Worcester BID have worked to see a fantastic High Street recovery since COVID-19, now surpassing levels before the pandemic. Visit Worcestershire recently shared tourist stats that revealed there had been 14 million visits to Worcestershire, 883,000 overnight stays, 13,155 day trips taken, 16,630 jobs in tourism and nearly £750,000,000 in contribution to the local economy.

Congratulations to all in the Retail District Award Shortlist

We would like to say a huge thank you to all on the Retail District Award shortlist, as well as to those that entered the category.

For more information on the Good Retail Awards, click here.