Entries to the Retail District category of the 2022 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 is as follows:
Wimborne BID
Wimborne BID supports the economic activity in the East Dorset Town of Wimblene Minster, through activities that align with the themes of cleaner, greener, safer, promotion, events, Christmas, representation and collaboration.
Events that have taken place include charity events, live music, Easter colouring competitions, special offers, talks, blogs and ‘meet the maker’ initiatives. Their most successful year involved more than 70 businesses taking part in more than 150 different events, from a wide range of sectors, helping local businesses to create added value experiences for their customers. These events have facilitated collaboration for businesses in the Wimborne area, with the goal of growing participation and growing promotion and footfall through this initiative. The www.discoverwimborne.com website served as a virtual hub for businesses in the local area when only virtual events were possible and they are now taking a blended approach to combine in-person and digital opportunities.
Wimborne BID’s work has engaged businesses, supported those in the local area, grown engagement and encouraged collaboration to help businesses to succeed amidst the challenges that they have faced.
Watford BID
Watford BID represents over 350 businesses in the town centre, supporting a culturally diverse culture within Watford’s population of 90,000.
Their goal in 2021 was to support businesses and their employees, alongside developing a sense of community in Watford. Watford BID looked to create an environment where managers were supported and employees wanted to stay in Watford, despite the challenges associated with COVID which made it an incredibly difficult time for businesses. The launch of Watford LinkUp enabled businesses and their employees to network, sharing offers, news, vacancies, events, training courses and sparking discussion. Watford BID produced and sent out weekly updates to businesses, encouraging managers to undertake mental health awareness training, as well as hosting a Wellness Week which saw more than 40 businesses join in. Other initiatives included the launch of the Watford Gift Card and organising a grant workshop for businesses, inviting grant providers to share information and producing a booklet that was distributed to every business in the town.
Watford BID has successfully grown the sense of community and positively impacted local businesses despite the challenges associated with COVID.
Blackburn BID c/o Newground CIC
Blackburn BID has promoted the vibrancy of the town centre and supported businesses through the pandemic while improving safety and sustainability.
The ‘Illuminate Blackburn’ initiative was launched, including six giant inflatable monster-themed light sculptures as part of the Monster Mayhem project, A Christmas Lights Switch On event including bespoke stage shows, TV choirmaster Gareth Malone, community performers and a fireworks display, The Snowman and the Snowdog brick model trail and the Blackburn Festival of Light. Each event attracted visitors into and around the town centre for creative, innovative and unique experience, designed to make people look at Blackburn in a new ‘light’. Accompanying this with a marketing campaign, its reach grew rapidly through social media content, radio advertising, digital screen advertising and work with social media influencers. To encourage participation in the events, there were competitions to win high street vouchers to spend in the town centre, encouraging those in the community to spend with local businesses while boosting support.
The wide range of captivating events has seen Blackburn BID successfully support local businesses, encouraging engagement from the community while increasing footfall significantly.
CuparNow
CuparNow created a unique campaign to manage integrated digital and social media communications to support multiple audiences across Cupar and its rural catchment of 40 villages to ensure a vibrant and sustainable approach as a thriving 21st-century market town.
By sharing relevant content that captures the attention of all age groups, CuparNow has grown a highly engaged audience through organic and paid-for content on their channels. This has been created in a way that drives engagement with products and services, as well as delivering increased levels of customer support, answering questions and keeping their growing audiences informed. Businesses have been able to provide imagery, video content and much more for it to be published to CuparNow’s audiences, helping to support and promote local businesses and provide an outstanding digital presence. The CuparNow blog alone has had more than 20,000 new users with close to 50,000 page views in the last 12 months, demonstrating the positive impact of this digital improvement district. This has all been alongside providing free public-realm W-Fi across the town centre and other additions such as introducing a podcast to share the stories of businesses, charities and community groups.
CuparNow has successfully supported more than 400 businesses and 8 community groups, as well as continuing to grow its audience across multiple channels.
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 those that entered the award.
For more information on the Good Retail Awards, click here.
Holly brings a wealth of experience in both print and digital publishing. As Modern Retail’s Content Editor, Holly is passionate about helping independent retailers to thrive in today’s ever-changing market.
