ANNUAL REVIEW 2025/2026
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
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It is my privilege to present the 2025/2026 Chester BID Annual Review.
This document showcases the BID’s achievements and highlights the hard work and dedication of the BID Team and BID Board, who remain committed to supporting you—the great businesses of Chester. The last 12 months have seen a renewed interest in Chester, as more retailers return to the high street and our food and beverage sector continues to help drive growth. Significant investment by the owners of the Eastgate Square Shopping Centre has helped attract exciting new brands such as H Beauty and Rituals, while regional restaurant brands including Maray and Salt House Tapas have chosen Chester to continue their expansions. This show of confidence by all our businesses helped deliver another calendar year of growth, with 2025 city centre sales increasing by 2.9%. As the BID entered the second year of this current term, we delivered several new promotional campaigns to help maintain the momentum created by our businesses. Our Beauty Passport celebrated our growing health and beauty sector, Eat to Win encouraged diners to visit our diverse range of restaurants, pubs and bars, and Summer in the City gave away thousands of free tickets to drive footfall to all parts of the city.
Ian Macdonald
Digital Channel Manager
Our promotional activity was complemented by real-world support for all our members, as we continued to deliver initiatives that help you run your businesses more effectively. Our training programme now delivers more courses than ever, we have extended our HR & Employment helpline, and our Business Growth Grants have funded everything from networking events to new tables and chairs. Flowers, repairs and additional cleaning remained high on our Enhancing agenda as we continued to lobby for increased investment to keep the city as welcoming as possible. Our crime survey helped the authorities understand the true impact of crime on our members and resulted in the most police liaison visits to date. As we look ahead to 2027, we will continue to adapt to the needs of our members and provide the most effective support possible. Thank you for your continued support. Yours sincerely
Luka Morrell
Business Engagement Manager
Tom & Monica
Street Team
Carl Critchlow
CEO – Chester BID
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CHESTER BID
Chester has continued to evolve, with new businesses, investment and activity helping to strengthen the city. I’m proud of the role Chester BID has played in making this progress.
The last 12 months have seen Chester BID cement its status as a key city stakeholder. From lobbying for increased investment, acting as a consultee on the second phase of the Northgate Development and engaging with the newly formed Cheshire & Warrington Combined Authority, the BID continues to represent the interests of members at a strategic level. With the imminent appointment of a new regional mayor the BID’s role as the voice of business has never been more important. While the Mayor and their newly devolved powers will bring new opportunities and investment, ensuring Chester is high on their agenda will be a crucial task for the BID Board and me. To ensure the BID remains representative of its membership, the BID Board continues to evolve, and this year we have welcomed Annabel Turpin, CEO of Storyhouse and Lisa Rogers, Centre Manager of Eastgate Square. Both bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the culture and retail sectors that will inform our future planning. I would like to thank all our members for your ongoing support and wish you the best for the future. Yours sincerely
Neil Hardy
Chair – Chester BID
THE CHESTER BID BOARD
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
IKO Hospitality
Ian Gordon
Hickory’s/Bar Lounge
John Welsh
Grosvenor Estate
Nigel Driver
Eastgate Square
Lisa Rogers
Storyhouse
Annabel Turpin
Pastry Pedaleur
Stephanie Peters
Cheshire West & Chester Council
Gemma Davies
Ellis & Co
John Farrell
Powell’s Jewellery
Will Powell
Aaron & Partners
Emma McGlinchey
Chester Cathedral
Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford
Andy Farrall Ltd
Andy Farrall
The Wildes Group
Paul Wildes 3
WELCOME TO CHESTER
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New additions to the city have included…
CHESTER BID
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
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ENHANCING The BIDs ‘Enhancing’ function aims to create a city that is safe, attractive and welcoming for people who shop, visit and work in Chester City Centre.
CITY HOSTS
The BID’s City Host service provides visitors with a true Chester welcome while also acting as our eyes and ears, monitoring the city centre and reporting issues as they arise.
BID MAINTENANCE OPERATIVES
Our BID Maintenance Operatives deliver a daily cleaning and maintenance service, over and above that provided by the council, to ensure the city looks its very best at all times. In addition to our daily cleaning service the BID also provides a monthly jet washing service, using specialist equipment to clean those areas of the city that require enhanced cleaning treatments.
4,014
interactions with visitors this year.
73
alfresco and pavement areas jet washed.
FLOWERS
573
shopfront cleans completed.
£26,980
saved for businesses in jet washing costs.
With over 130,000 individual flowers planted throughout spring and summer, the BID’s award-winning floral displays bring a splash of colour to the city during its busiest periods. Additionally, the BID’s subsidised hanging basket scheme allows businesses to play their part in enhancing our beautiful city.
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CHESTER BID
PURPLE FLAG
Chester has held its Purple Flag status since 2018, the internationally recognised benchmark of a safe, wellmanaged night-time economy. The BID funds the annual accreditation process in collaboration with local partners including Cheshire Police, Cheshire West and Chester Council, University of Chester and Chester Pub Watch.
CRIME & ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR SURVEY
The BID’s bi-annual crime surveys give BID members the opportunity to provide feedback on how crime and antisocial behaviour impacts their business. This information is then shared with the police and council to help them direct their resources most effectively. Over 50 follow up visits have taken place following our surveys. These joint visits provide businesses the chance to provide further context to the issues they are facing, as well as highlight problems that may go under-reported.
SOCKTOPUS
After Socktopus highlighted ongoing issues outside of their Foregate Street store last summer, Chester BID successfully supported Cheshire West & Chester Councils efforts to install CCTV in the uncovered area. This now enables them to hold anyone engaging in crime or anti‑social behaviour in this location to account and provides additional safety measures for staff.
DRUG DOG
To support Cheshire Police in their efforts to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour the BID has continued to fund additional drug dog operations in the city resulting in dozens of stop and searches and multiple arrests.
THE CHESTER GROSVENOR
Contacted the BID team to highlight an issue with disruptive youths entering the hotel, disturbing staff and guests. BID then liaised with Cheshire Police to organise a joint visit, where officers took statements, CCTV and provided staff with reporting advice. After the hotel staff called through that evening, officers were able to catch up with the youths, meeting with their parents to prevent any additional incidents.
Chester BID has been an invaluable source of support
From organising monthly jet washing to providing practical advice and always being there to help with any questions or challenges our business faces. A special thank you to Luka, who has been absolutely fantastic — professional, approachable and consistently goes above and beyond to support us. Paul White, The Commercial & The Victoria
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026 2025
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SUPPORTING The BIDs supporting initiatives provide businesses with the help they need to run as effectively as possible. We represent the interests of our members on multiple groups and boards, as well as providing one-to-one support and guidance.
BUSINESS GRANTS
Chester BID currently offers two grant schemes that redistribute additional funds generated by the BID (not BID Levy). Our Business Growth Grant helps businesses to grow by supporting initiatives that drive footfall or encourage consumer spend, while our Accessible Assistance Grant helps businesses to access equipment, training or enhancements that make their premises more accessible.
CHESTER PERFORMANCE REPORT
Our Chester Performance Reports collate data such as consumer spend and demographics, providing businesses with a monthly snapshot of how Chester is performing, enabling you to make better informed decisions. Insights from our 2025 Performance Reports include
34.5M
Visitors welcomed in 2025
44%
of all visits to City Centre between 12pm-5pm
FOOD & DRINK
accounts for 36p of every £1 spent in Chester.
FASHION
has the highest average spend per customer (£79.53) and the highest average transaction value (£51.45) of any sector in Chester.
MERSEYSIDE
is Chester’s biggest catchment by footfall.
£5,500 AWARDED
to businesses across the Business Growth and Accessible Assistance Grants. Recipients include Bridge Street Cafe and Bistro, Brow Spa, Karigarwala, Chapters Books, Chester Boutique, tbc*, The Hole In Wand, and Storyhouse.
NORTH WALES
(within 40 miles) contributes more by sales, spending more per person.
The grant from the BID helped us to not only increase how many people could use our al fresco area, it also helped us improve our quality of offering.
Nicer furniture and a better space - all funded and supported before we started using it, taking away a lot of stress and financial pressure. Calum Adams, tbc* & Shrub
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CHESTER BID
HR & EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT
Accessed by phone or by email, the BID’s HR & Employment helpline gives BID members access to the latest HR and employment guidance and advice, completely free of charge. Details on how to access our helpline is included at the back of this document.
Utilising Chester BID’s HR & Employment helpline saved us time and money and provided us with a clear starting point.
The WorkNest contract templates helped us identify what we wanted to use, whilst ensuring we are doing the right thing for our business and employees. We now also have onboarding documents that make sense for us, remaining rooted in the correct legal processes. Megan Nicolaides, Chapters Book Bar, Watergate Row
INFORMATION SHARING
Keeping businesses up to date with the latest city news and opportunities is a key role for the BID. The BID’s monthly newsletter, weekly update and dedicated BID member WhatsApp group allow the BID to communicate with its members in real time. Our communications have included:
18 DISPERSAL ORDER NOTICES
TRAINING
The BID’s fully funded training courses help businesses to upskill their staff and make thousands of pounds of cost savings. This year we have introduced sector-specific sessions, including Personal Licence and De-escalation & Safety Training. Sessions are hosted in BID businesses such as That Beer Place, H Beauty, Shrub and Opera Grill.
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Courses delivered
£19,475
139
Members of staff trained
saved for businesses, a 16.3% increase on last year.
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
ensuring businesses are aware that Police Officers are able to ban anyone causing anti-social behaviour from the city.
41 MESSAGES
providing businesses with operational information, including alfresco notices, roadworks, or city events.
25 CALL OUTS
for your business information, including offers, events, and features to enable us to promote you across our digital channels.
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PROMOTING DIGITAL CHANNELS & PR
APRIL 24-25 VS APRIL 25-26
Our Digital Channels aim to promote the wider city and our BID businesses directly, sharing your offers, events and promotions to drive footfall and encourage consumer spend.
AUDIENCE 12%
12,881 FACEBOOK
17%
11,926 INSTAGRAM
SOCIAL MEDIA
18%
7,608 LINKEDIN
54% 8,747 EMAIL
5%
12,153 OTHER
18%
53,315 TOTAL
WEBSITE
155%
39% 4,945,587 POST REACH
205,763
POST ENGAGEMENT
9%
228,833 SENDS
53% 6,602 CLICKS
43%
41%
270,790
814,881
VIEWS
ENGAGEMENT
Utilising Chester BID’s digital channels has had a fantastic impact on my business. The content reached over 32,000 people organically and generated 1,400+ engagements, driving an immediate increase in store footfall. It continued to build brand awareness among both existing and new customers. It’s a brilliant example of how professionally created, locally focused content can deliver real results for independent businesses. Suzie, Owner of Suzie K
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CHESTER BID
SEASONAL ACTIVITY
Our seasonal activity continues to be a key part of our annual calendar, creating opportunities to engage visitors and support businesses throughout the year. Each activity is designed to encourage footfall, increase dwell time and drive spend all year round.
EASTER TRAIL 178,000 Reached
1,900
business visits across 40 businesses
Reached
Since 2020, the Chester Gift Card has continued to grow as a valuable initiative supporting the local economy, with 160 businesses signed up to receive the card. This year we invested in merchandised sleeves, helping position it as the perfect gift for occasions such as birthdays, thank-yous and celebrations.
£180,000
worth of gift cards sold to date.
£21,742
sold within the last year
£2,400
HALLOWEEN TRAIL 120,000
CHESTER GIFT CARD
2,800
redeemed in one business in 2025, the largest redemption amount for any business.
business visits across 40 businesses
CHESTER PRIDE SHOPFRONT COMPETITION OVER 78,000 Reached
18
businesses featured
THAT BEER PLACE - 2025 WINNER 698 votes cast
SUMMER SPEND GUIDE OVER 155,000 Reached
48
businesses featured
RADIO CAMPAIGNS
This year, we introduced radio activity with local station Dee Radio 106.3 to strengthen our reach among Chester’s local community, as well as visitors to the city. Through the campaign, we were able to promote Chester BID members and increase awareness of our activity across a wider audience. Activity included commercials, live on-air interviews and competitions featuring the likes of Hotel Chocolat, Rooftop Social Club and The Perfume Shop.
1,632
30-second commercials
85,000
local people reached
1,632,000
impressions generated
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
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CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARDS
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The Chester BID Customer Service Awards have become the highlight of the city’s event calendar. 2025 was the biggest and best awards yet, celebrating 10 years of outstanding customer service. More than 35,000 votes were cast by the public before each shortlisted business was independently judged on their performance.
CHESTER BID
Best Food on the Go
Best High Street Service
Best Independent Retailer
Best Large National Retailer
Joint Best Health & Beauty Service
Joint Best Health & Beauty Service
Best Hotel & Accommodation
Best Professional Services
Best Pub/Bar/Club
Best Restaurant
Best Newcomer
The Legend Award
Best Leisure & Attraction
Best Small National Retailer
Best Small National Fashion Retailer
Best of Eastgate Square Shopping Centre
THE YORK ROAST
THE SCENTED GARDEN
NORTHGATES
PICTUREHOUSE
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
KINGKABS
BROW HQ
CHEZ JULES
OLIVER BONAS
SUZIE K
THE CHESTER GROSVENOR
SALT HOUSE TAPAS
BRAVISSIMO
ZARA
CULLIMORE DUTTON
BAR LOUNGE
ABOUT YOU
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BEAUTY PASSPORT 850
Passports distributed
New for 2026, Chester BID’s Beauty Passport celebrated Chester’s thriving beauty and wellness scene. Launched to coincide with Valentine’s Day and the opening of Harrods’ H beauty store, the campaign gave participants the opportunity to secure free luxury samples and win high-value beauty prizes.
500
Tote bags distributed
4,100 VISITS
Generated to the 10 participating businesses
231,000
Reached online across digital channels
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500% INCREASE
on average in views of participating businesses pages on chesterbid.co.uk
CHESTER BID
EAT TO WIN 30
City centre hospitality businesses took part
Another first for 2026 was the launch of Eat to Win, a major foodie giveaway campaign focused on boosting the city’s vibrant hospitality scene. Consumers were invited to dine at participating businesses, scanning QR codes to be in with a chance of winning a share of £5000 in Chester GIft Cards. These could then be spent in the 160 participating Gift Card businesses.
172,000
Online reach across digital channels
£5,000
in Chester Gift Cards won - spendable in the 165 businesses signed up to accept the card.
NOMINATED
for ‘Best Marketing and Branding’ category in the Town and City Management Awards 2026
REACH
4000 SCANS 1,900 ENTRIES 600 NEW
EMAIL CONTACTS
Chester has such a strong mix of independent restaurants and bars, and that’s what makes it such a great place to dine out.
Campaigns like Eat to Win encourage people to dine out and experience what really puts Chester above the rest. It’s a great way to support local while enjoying everything a bank holiday weekend should be about - good food, good company and a great atmosphere. Luka Creedon, Owner of Salt House Tapas
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
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SUMMER IN THE CITY
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Summer in the City helped boost footfall and dwell time by providing free, family entertainment during the school summer holidays. Over 1,000 free tickets were made available across 5 individually themed weeks to top city centre attractions, movies, and tours.
CHESTER BID
CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY
Always the focus of our seasonal marketing and event activity, Christmas 2025 proved to be Chester BID’s most successful to date.
4,000 FREE PARKING SPACES
funded at Chester Racecourse, every weekend from the 22nd November to the 21st December.
SANTA’S 5TH YEAR
Santa’s Enchanted Grotto returned for its fifth year, selling out all available slots to see the man himself.
60% INCREASE
on Chester Gift Card sales in November/December 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
SHOPFRONT COMPETITION 157,000 Reached
29
businesses featured
CINDERBOX COFFEE - 2025 WINNER
CHRISTMAS SPEND GUIDE 267,000 Reached
1746 votes cast
59
businesses featured
BIG BID CHRISTMAS CLEAN
Cleaning more than 50 business frontages and jet washing 9 alfresco/pavement areas.
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Funded on St. Werburgh Street, Pepper Street, St. John Street, and Foregate.
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CITY ENHANCING
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Our enhancing initiatives can be seen across the city through our direct business services, including subsidised flower displays and monthly jet washing of pavements and alfresco areas.
CHESTER BID
2025/2026 FINANCES With BID Levy collection rates surpassing 95% in 25/26, the BID was able to invest in new projects and initiatives such as Summer in the City and Eat to Win while maintaining a consistent level of base services. The BID continued to pursue additional sources of income to supplement the BID Levy, and another successful Christmas campaign saw significant commercial income from Santa’s Christmas Grotto. This strong financial performance puts the BID in a positive position for 2027 and beyond.
BID INCOME BID Levy
Chair Audit & Finance Committee
ANNUAL REVIEW 2026
£480,309
Project Funding
£4,999
Grants
£20,000
Other income
£62,652
BID EXPENDITURE John Farrell
APRIL 25 – MARCH 26 ACTUAL
APRIL 25 – MARCH 26 ACTUAL
Promoting
£226,678
Enhancing
£202,074
Supporting
£89,679
Operating
£61,923
Contingency
£2,238
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YOUR BID TEAM General
hello@chesterbid.co.uk
Luka, Business Support
luka@chesterbid.co.uk
Carl, CEO
Ian, Digital Marketing
CRIME
Emergency
Non-emergency
carl@chesterbid.co.uk ian@chesterbid.co.uk
999
101 - Ensure issue is logged
HR & EMPLOYMENT ADVICE HR & Employment
chesterbidhr@worknest.com
Call for all advice
01244 687 607 Mon - Fri, 8:30am - 5:30pm
Health & Safety
chesterbidhs@worknest.com
BID MAINTENANCE OPERATIVES Frontage cleaning & jet washing requests
luka@chesterbid.co.uk
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
REPORT STREET CLEANSING ISSUES
ROUGHSLEEPING
MORE CHESTER BID SERVICES
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CHESTER BID