BID TERM 5, YEAR 1
BROADMEAD BID
Now entering the second year of its fifth term, Broadmead BID has successfully delivered added value to all levy payers within Bristol Shopping Quarter since 2005.
We are one of the longest-established business improvement districts in the UK. This current term, which began in November 2023, runs until the end of October 2028.
Following extensive discussion with our advisory board and key city stakeholders, we are developing proposals and consulting with the business community on uniting our BID vision, mission, and operations with Bristol City Centre BID and Redcliffe & Temple BID to form a new Bristol BID. We are also exploring and consulting with businesses on expanding the BID boundary to include more areas of the city centre. We will ensure the consultation process
is open to all in the city centre impacted by the proposals as we seek to offer more projects and support, more value, improved efficiencies, and greater influence and representation for our communities.
Please read our consultation document, which outlines the proposals in detail and in the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.
BID TERM 5, YEAR 1
In September 2023, a ballot was held and 79% of those who voted (82% by rateable value) said they wanted Broadmead BID to continue for a fifth term, which began on 1 November.
It has been a busy first year and I am now pleased to share this impact statement, looking back at the many, varied projects we have delivered across four central themes: addressing anti-social behaviour issues and safety; clean and welcoming; marketing and promotion; and business support.
We are at the beginning of a period of evolution, with some substantial changes ahead, including the redevelopment of the former Debenhams store and of The Galleries shopping centre. With any change, comes opportunity, and we believe this to be an exciting time as we look forward to more people living and working in the city centre and the retail offer adapting to meet their needs.
The Broadmead BID team will continue to work closely with you, listening to your feedback, ensuring you receive the information and guidance you need, and helping promote your stores, and Bristol Shopping Quarter as a whole.
ADDRESSING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ISSUES AND SAFETY
You are consistently clear that reducing crime and anti-social behaviour must remain a top priority for the BID team, improving the visitor experience and helping you reduce business losses.
The role of Retail Support Ranger, created in 2019, has been popular. We were able to expand the service this year and now have two rangers, one full-time and one part-time. As well as recovering a significant amount of stolen stock for retailers, they have prevented many more incidences of shoplifting, as well as helping with other anti-social behaviour and safety issues.
In addition to the ranger service, Broadmead BID co-funds a dedicated Street Intervention Services (SIS) officer, who works across Broadmead BID, Bristol City Centre BID, and Redcliffe & Temple BID. They are part of Bristol City Council and Avon & Somerset Police’s team of SIS officers, an additional resource focusing solely on the three BID areas.
They are in Broadmead two days each week with a focus on providing support to vulnerable individuals and those struggling with addiction.
We work very closely with Avon & Somerset Police and Bristol City Council via the Bristol Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP), collaborative work that pays dividends with the successes including Criminal Behaviour Orders banning prolific offenders from Bristol Shopping Quarter, and two Safer Business Action (SaBA) Days, which led to a number of arrests and enabled us to engage in new ways with retailers.
We continue to emphasise the importance of reporting crime, which will help us make even more progress.
The SaBA Day was a fantastic day of action, and the results reflected that. By pooling all our expertise together within the partnership, we were able to increase our understanding of issues facing businesses, while targeting offenders and those responsible for anti-social behaviour.
We hope proactive events such as this will build public confidence among the business community and increase reporting of issues to allow us to take the necessary action against perpetrators.
Sean Underwood Beat Sergeant, Avon & Somerset Police
I just wanted to give feedback to your security team who have attended Halifax a couple of times over the last few weeks. They have been prompt and supportive, please pass on our thanks.
Sharon Worthy Bank Manager, Halifax
£61,350 STOCK RECOVERED THE STATS
596 INCIDENTS
14
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR ORDERS ISSUED, BANNING PROLIFIC OFFENDERS FROM BRISTOL SHOPPING QUARTER
CLEAN AND WELCOMING
Maintaining high cleansing standards throughout the BID area is always a priority and since the BID was first established, we have funded an above and beyond service, supplementing the work carried out by Bristol Waste on behalf of Bristol City Council.
Since April 2022, Broadmead BID has shared a pavement cleansing team with Redcliffe & Temple BID. They visit Broadmead twice a week, early in the morning, before it gets too crowded, and their focus is on washing the pavements and pedestrianised areas.
Tagging and graffiti is a problem, and we know you appreciate the rapid response, with new incidences often reported by the BID team before you have become aware of them and removed within hours.
CLEAN AND WELCOMING
The BID funds festive lighting with attractive light canopies installed on Broadmead West, on The Horsefair (outside Primark), on Merchant Street North and South. The lights are switched on from 11am-11pm daily from early November until the end of the year.
Additionally, there are seasonal tree lights on Union Street and The Horsefair (near Luke and Poundland). These are switched on when the clocks go back in the autumn until they go forward again in the spring. Retail staff and shoppers have commented that this extra lighting makes the areas feel safer when it gets darker in the evenings and early mornings.
The lighting scheme across Broadmead utilises LED lighting fixtures and components, which are incredibly energy efficient and have a long lifespan.
The tree lights stay installed throughout the year, so we only had to pay a one-off installation charge in 2022 and do not have any annual de-rig costs.
Money is set aside in the BID budget for maintenance of the street furniture, including new coats of paint each year for the iconic concrete balls on Broadmead West, which have been green for the past few years to symbolise the BID’s commitment to encouraging sustainable shopping.
For many people, their visit to Bristol Shopping Quarter begins on our website where the ‘getting here’ page is always popular, so the welcome starts there too. We have made sure all the information they need can be found easily, whether they are using a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
THE STATS
596
INCIDENTS OF TAGGING OR GRAFFITI REMOVED
16,750
UNIQUE VISITORS PER MONTH TO THE BRISTOL SHOPPING QUARTER WEBSITE
1,433
MILES (ABOUT 2,306 KM) OF ADDITIONAL CLEANSING
120 CALL OUTS TO REMOVE ANTISOCIAL WASTE
33,250
WEBSITE PAGE VIEWS PER MONTH
6
FESTIVE LIGHTING CANOPIES AND 9 SETS OF SEASONAL TREE LIGHTS
MARKETING AND PROMOTION
We continued to focus on digital marketing this year, with one of the Broadmead BID team fully dedicated to promoting both the area and individual businesses via the Bristol Shopping Quarter website and social media pages (you will find us as ‘Bristol Shopping’ on Facebook and Instagram). We also send out a monthly consumer newsletter to a mailing list of around 3,200 subscribers –the open rate is remarkably high.
We worked closely with several key partners to bring some high-quality events to Bristol Shopping Quarter this year, including Bristol Light Festival in February, a new community arts festival at Easter, an international cultural festival (with over 30 countries represented) in June, and an interactive alternative reality trail featuring 10 moving monsters in October.
A particular highlight was Broad Meadow, a beautiful wildflower art installation created by Sylvia Rimat and Charli Clarke, which brought meadow plants (and pollinators) back to Broadmead in May and June. Several of the planters remained in Broadmead after the event and we are hoping to bring Broad Meadow back in a slightly larger, longer-term format in 2025.
2023/24 was the third year in Broadmead for Better Sundays, a local, ethical market that takes place once a month from spring to autumn. Currently on its winter break, it will return on the second Sunday each month from April to October 2025, and this time the operator, Better Events, will be working in collaboration with Latin American Community Support CIC, to bring even more exciting traders to Bristol Shopping Quarter.
This year, for the first time, we funded coaches to run a shuttle service between cruise ships docked at Royal Portbury Dock and Bristol Shopping Quarter on four dates across May, June, August, and September. By funding these shuttle services, we were able to ensure the coaches brought the cruise passengers and crew straight to Bristol Shopping Quarter rather than to drop off points elsewhere in the city.
MARKETING AND PROMOTION
THE LOVE BRISTOL GIFT CARD
The Love Bristol gift card was launched by Broadmead BID, Bristol City Centre BID and Redcliffe & Temple BID in June 2022 to benefit businesses across the city centre. Designed to keep money in the local economy, any business across the three BIDs that can accept Mastercard payments can get on board.
Since then, more than 180 businesses have signed up, and £144,866 worth of gift cards had been sold by the end of October 2024.
Within Bristol Shopping Quarter, cards have been redeemed in Antics, Argos, Big Bao, Boots, Cafe Amore, Card Shack, ClothingXChange, Damaged Society,
Eat-a-Pitta, Eurochange, Fig 1, Fone Styles, Goldsmiths, HMV, Holland & Barrett, John Wesley’s New Room, LEGO, Lush, Mountain Warehouse, New Look, Piccolino, Primark, Prior, Sainsbury’s, Scribbler, Skechers, Slater, Specsavers, Starbucks, Taste of Napoli, The Television and Movie Store, TK Maxx, Trespass, and Waterstones.
BUSINESS SUPPORT
‘A
STRONG AND UNITED VOICE’
Broadmead BID’s key objectives include acting on behalf of businesses, providing a strong and united voice to communicate with partners including Bristol City Council and the police.
We pride ourselves on keeping businesses informed, passing on news, advice, and guidance from a wide variety of agencies promptly, and on keeping the Broadmead BID website up to date, so it acts as a one-stop shop for enquiries. Regular newsletters, direct emails, and store visits continue to be an important part of our communication strategy, ensuring we are staying connected, listening to you, and addressing your needs.
We make it as easy as possible for you to contact us too, whether you prefer to phone (a few years ago we switched from an office landline to personal mobile phones, which saved money too!), email, or send a message via LinkedIn (follow Broadmead BID). We hold an open office event from 11am to 1pm every Wednesday, with all Broadmead businesses invited to drop in for coffee or tea and a chat.
FOOTFALL DATA
The BID funds the footfall data provided by Springboard/MRI from counters located on Broadmead East and Union Street. It enables us to monitor hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly traffic and week on week, year on year, and other comparisons, including the current year versus 2019 (pre-pandemic). Weekly and monthly reports are published on the Broadmead BID website and a summary is sent out to subscribers each Tuesday – let us know if you would like to be added to this mailing list.
PLACE SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP
Broadmead BID has teamed up with business savings and support experts Place Support Partnership (PSP) to help levy-paying businesses navigate the energy and cost of doing business crises.
PSP want to work with you to identify and realise savings when considering new contracts and choosing suppliers. They can also support
you to navigate the current energy crisis and achieve best value on services like electricity, gas, water, telecoms, merchant services, insurance, and pest control.
The programme is funded by Broadmead BID as part of our business support services and is available to all levy payers free of charge.
SEEDL (INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL LEARNING)
Broadmead BID, Bristol City Centre BID, and Redcliffe & Temple BID in partnership with Seedl, now provide over 200 live virtual subjects, held on interactive webinars to support varying working schedules. Whether a BID business wants their teams to access courses from their desk, or through remote working, this new learning solution is designed to help employees learn, perform, and succeed.
13,100+ BID WEBSITE PAGE VIEWS THE STATS
86 GROUP NOTIFICATIONS
2,150+ BUSINESS INTERACTIONS
BID ADVISORY BOARD
The BID has an advisory board that meets quarterly to oversee and monitor the strategic direction and delivery of the business plan and financial management. It is responsible for ensuring the BID operates as part of a wider community and in the public interest.
The advisory board represents the interests of all businesses and advocates on their behalf. It provides expert advice and guidance, establishes best practice, and agrees and monitors key performance indicators.
Representation on the advisory board is available to all levy payers. Please email viv@broadmeadbid.co.uk if you would like to find out more.
The day-to-day management of Broadmead BID is delegated to the Director of BID, who submits a report at each advisory board meeting. Broadmead BID operates within the corporate governance structure of Destination Bristol (trading as Visit West), a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
THE FOLLOWING BID ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
WERE IN POST AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2024:
Jack Simpson
The Galleries – Chair
Jenny Ablett Business West
Kathryn Davis
Managing Director and CEO, Visit West
Adam Dolling / Jonathan Scott, Police Inspectors, Neighbourhood Beat Team
Jason Edward Store Manager / Tara Fountain, Deputy Manager, Primark
Jon Edwards
Interim Destination Director, Cabot Circus
Amanda French Partner, Clarke Willmott
Mark Fullwood
Store Manager, Slater Menswear
Steve Gilchrist
Multi-Site Store Manager, Bristol, Bath & Swindon, Metro Bank / Marc Watters
Regional Business
Banking Director
Simon Gorton
Store Manager, Boots
Jim Murdoch
Area Supervisor, McDonald’s
Stuart Rickaby Manager, Sports Direct
Jason Thorne
Service Manager, City Centre and High Streets, Bristol City Council
Ani Stafford-Townsend Councillor, Bristol City Council
Sibusiso Tshabalala Councillor, Bristol City Council
THE BID AREA WITHIN BRISTOL SHOPPING QUARTER
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The Director of Broadmead BID monitors the budget closely to ensure every pound of the BID levy is used to maximum effect to deliver the projects agreed by the levy payers.
2023/2024 Income & Expenditure
*Net of BCC admin/collection costs **Includes BID levy collected in this period from previous years ***includes unallocated levy
THE YEAR AHEAD
The Broadmead BID team remains fully committed to supporting all businesses, with a focus on maximising the value of the levy you pay. Our goal is to help your business thrive in a safe and welcoming environment.
Our priorities for the year 2024/2025: Anticipated BID Levy Income: £391,000
One
ADDRESSING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR ISSUES, SAFETY, AND RETAIL CRIME
Planned spend £110,000
We will continue to fund the BID’s retail support ranger service, with the rangers working effectively with businesses to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour through strong partnerships with the police and store teams. We will continue to co-fund (with Bristol City Centre and Redcliffe & Temple BIDs) a street intervention services officer and a BCRP manager. The BID team will work closely with Bristol BCRP, building strong relationships to develop crime reduction initiatives.
Two
MARKETING, EVENTS, AND FOOTFALL
Planned spend £100,000
We will continue to promote Bristol Shopping Quarter to a wide audience via our website, social media channels, and some external advertising, and plan highquality events and activities to encourage footfall and spending throughout the year (including participation in Bristol Light Festival and The Grand Appeal/Aardman’s summer trail).
Four
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Planned spend £25,000
Three A CLEAN AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT
Planned spend £115,000
The BID team will always work proactively with partners including Bristol Waste Company to maintain high cleansing standards and quickly respond to graffiti, litter, and other issues. We will continue to provide both seasonal and festive lighting.
As a business community, working together, we are stronger. The BID is an influential business voice, ensuring your interests are represented. In addition to providing support, advice, and guidance, the BID team helps to create and maintain a sense of community. Our business support includes the provision of free online training opportunities for businesses.
LET’S TALK
THIS IS YOUR BID, SO PLEASE STAY CONNECTED
We would like to hear your feedback on our projects and to hear if there is anything else you would like the BID to deliver. Please email viv@broadmeadbid.co.uk
We send out regular BID updates. To be included on our circulation list, please contact sophie@broadmeadbid.co.uk
We are very keen to promote news, offers, and events for BID businesses. Please email morgane@broadmeadbid.co.uk with the details.
OPEN OFFICE
Connect with us on social media at: /bristolshopping @bristolshopping
CONTACT INFORMATION
Broadmead BID Team
The Management Suite 69 Broadmead Bristol BS1 3DX
Broadmead BID
Please come to one of our Open Office events, held every Wednesday 11am-1pm, for a chance to meet the team and chat over tea or coffee and biscuits. This is a weekly opportunity for you to talk to us – a chance to give us feedback, tell us what you would like to see included in our plans, ask for help, discuss footfall trends, or share good news. We are looking forward to seeing you!
