scene App scene.pdf 2 16/10/2014 09:38:45
The newsletter for businesses and employees in the City Central BID area
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
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A new app launched to discover the very best Liverpool city centre has to offer has recorded 1,600 downloads in its first two weeks. The ThIS Liverpool app contains information about hundreds of shops, restaurants and cultural venues, including details of money-saving offers and discounts. The launch of the new digital city guide, paid for by the BID levy, is tailored to provide exclusive offers for those who work in the city centre. The app is available to download free on both Android and Apple platforms. Bill Addy, Chief Executive of Liverpool
what’s inside this issue
BID Company, said: “There are more than 150,000 people working and studying in the city centre, as well as all the visitors we welcome every day, and we wanted an app that could be tailored to suit each audience. “ThIS Liverpool App offers exclusive offers across shops, eateries and venues for workers, students and the general public and also puts them in the front row for all the great events that happen in the city centre.”
HS2 petition needs your support 14,000 new jobs on the line for city’s rail campaign.
The ThIS Liverpool app, designed by Liverpool company Apposing, is filtered across several categories including clothes and footwear, health and beauty, food and drink, culture and entertainment, home and technology allowing users to choose what they see.
There is also an event section and a thematic trails section - with built in offers – encouraging users to explore specific sites and tourist attractions in the city centre.
A further feature is a voucher section which enables people to redeem offers and save their friends money by sharing the deals on social media.
To provide an exclusive offer for the ThIS Liverpool App – please contact alvaro.costela@ liverpoolbidcompany.com
Multi-million upgrade taking shape Revamp of Clayton Square and St. Johns nearing completion.
For more information go to www.thisliverpool.com
Sign up to secret shopping survey Applications open for annual mystery shop programme.
Join in the frosty festive fun See back page on how to be part of this Christmas.
IN BRIEF A big hearted City Central welcome to:
All boxed off
Best Liverpool – Whitechapel Central Perk – Bold Street Kardashian Beauty – Church Street Mowgli – Bold Street Pop Boutique – Bold Street Pure Gym – Renshaw Street Rex – Basnett Street Rubens – Central Station Smokie Mo’s – Ranelagh Street Tortilla – Lord Street
Cinema for Metquarter A new luxury cinema is to open in Metquarter shopping centre. Everyman cinemas will create a three screen complex with a capacity of 325 seats. The cinema will host mainstream films, art house and classic films. And a fourth screen would be available to hire privately.
Mattas at the double Matta’s International Foods, scooped a major double at the Merseyside Independent Business Awards. The Bold Street business was named Independent Business of the Year and won Independent Retail Business Award at the second annual awards staged by law firm Morecrofts. Revolver Retail also won an Award for Best Original Start-up with Rex, which is based in Rapid, and Metquarter based Kate Stewart was crowned Independent Business Champions Award.
Bid for friendly WiFi city Businesses in Liverpool, who offer public internet access can now opt into ‘Friendly WiFi’, the world’s first accreditation scheme. ‘Friendly WiFi’, which has been backed by high street giants such as Tesco’s and Starbucks, keeps children and young people safe from viewing inappropriate material by applying a minimum level of filtering to certain websites. To find out more about how log on www.friendlywifi.co.uk
Liverpool’s very first ‘Concept & Box Store’ is now open for business. Rex aims to champion independent businesses and celebrates one-of-akind, innovative, start-up and creative retailers. Located in the iconic George Henry Lees building in the city centre, Rex is being delivered by award-winning retail specialists Revolver Retail. Recent winners of the ‘Best Original Start-Up’ category at Merseyside Independent Business (MIB) Awards
2014, Revolver recognised the potential of Rapid’s expanse basement space and transformed the site into a new retail venture. The concept store will specialise in bespoke products, fashions, homewares and health & beauty products crafted by a variety of designers. Alishia Thomas-Jackson, of Revolver Retail said: “Rex is a unique home for innovative businesses that allows traders to sell their products or provide services in a stress-free environment.
“The concept is simple but brand-new not only to Liverpool, but to the North West – we provide retail space and boxes that act as a platform for traders to display their goods in our mini-emporium.” Rex will be home to over 40 retailers from across Merseyside and further afield. Boxes are available to hire. Prices start from £15 per week (+VAT) for one single box. To find out more please go to: www.revolverretail.com
V is for victory – on vacancies nationwide, with 20 retail units totalling more than 100,000 sq ft being let in the six months between October 2013 and April 2014. Liverpool and Cardiff were the top two performers nationwide with vacancy rates below 3% on Bold Street, St Johns fully let and more growth is expected with Clayton Square, Metquarter and Cavern Walks all undergoing major upgrades.
Liverpool city centre is winning the battle against vacant shop units, a new report reveals. The city is one of the top two performing retail locations in the UK, according to the National Retail Barometer by property advisors Colliers International. The firm’s latest research of 15 key retail centres throughout the UK recorded Liverpool as having one of the largest decreases in empty shops
Support HS2 campaign The Liverpool BID Company has committed its support to the High Speed Rail - Linking Liverpool campaign to bring a high speed rail connection in to the city centre. Now we are urging you to do the same – and in just one minute of your time you could help reshape this city’s future.
• 1 4,000 new jobs – or up to 26,000 if wider regeneration linked to HS2 is taken into account. • A n additional £30m a year in business rates, meaning more money for local services.
Why? Because full HS2 into Liverpool will deliver:
• 2 0,000 more people looking to make the Liverpool City Region their home – good news for the construction industry in meeting the demand for 10,000 new houses.
• An overall £8.3bn boost to the Liverpool City Region economy
• 7 23,000 additional visitors, spending around £87m.
BID Chief Executive Bill Addy signs HS2 petition.
Your support is vital. Please show it here: www.highspeedrailliverpool.org/ business
New look St Johns and Clayton Square A multi-million pound upgrade of St Johns Shopping Centre and Clayton Square shopping centre is set to be completed by the end of the year. At Clayton Square, a major remodelling of the 180,000 sq.ft centre has seen Boots create a flagship 60,000 sq ft store with the chain’s biggest beauty hall in the UK. World renowned Architects, Benoy, designed the new scheme, transforming the cluttered two floor mall scheme with a new triple height single trading mall. Removal of the internal escalators will provide clear views from Central Station to St Johns Shopping Centre as it had when it originally opened in 1989. The Church Street Mall will be closed, allowing three new units fronting Church Street to be created, with a new Morrisons to open in November. St Johns is undergoing the final phase of a £6m overhaul with the renovation
of all internal areas, including the complete replacement of mall floor finishes, ceilings and lighting, most of which has been unaltered for over 25 years. Meanwhile Sainsbury’s is taking the corner unit on Lime Street next to the Holiday Inn. Chris Huxtable, Director at InfraRed, said: “We are delighted to have made so much progress since acquiring these
IN BRIEF Cavern to hand out Q Award gong
two assets, with crucial components in delivery being the support we have received from Liverpool City Council and key occupiers. “These centres sit in strategic locations in Liverpool city centre, and their regeneration will have a real impact on the city. We are looking forward to unveiling the completed works to shoppers.”
Mystery Shop programme launched How good is your customer service? Did you know it could be earning your business thousands more every week? Want to do something about it? Well you can. City Central BID is hosting its 6th annual Mystery Shop programme from this November. Building on the success of previous years, the programme will assess customer service at Christmas time, covering the key areas of staff attitude, customer service and selling skills.
high for the city centre’s food offer in which 30 food outlets scored a whopping 89% approval rating. Those which got an 80% or better rating were all honoured at the Mystery Shop awards ceremony, held in The Athenaeum and hosted by Liverpool actor, comedian and writer Neil Fitzmaurice.
City centre is apartment central! A major apartment development is currently under way in the heart of the BID area. Jam Works are on site in Parker Street, creating 72 micro-apartments and 19 studios, across 6 storeys plus the addition of a two-storey rooftop extension. The upper floors, which sit above the run from Superdrug to Tesco, have been vacant since the 1980s. The exterior scaffolding is due to come down at the end of October.
Lidl looks to Lewis’s site
The average score last year was 86.4% with 22 stores achieving a perfect 100% – and a record 85 shops achieving an 80% or better rating. Satisfaction levels reached an all-time
Sticky issue tackled A campaign has been launched with the aim of reducing littered gum in the city centre. Encouraging visitors and workers to ‘Bin it your way’, the Liverpool BID Company has partnered with Amey and the Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG), and funded by the chewing gum industry, to tackle gum litter in the UK. In 2013 the campaign led to an average fall in gum litter of 47% in participating areas, with some authorities reporting even higher results.
Star performers were T.M. Lewin in Metquarter and Hooka in the Cavern Quarter, as they were the only retailers to score 100% for the 2nd year running. If you wish to enter the City Central Mystery Shop please email: michael.doran@ liverpoolbidcompany.com or call: (0151) 233 2736
The team from the Cavern Club will be presenting the award for the best live act at the Q Awards. The star-studded ceremony is being held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 22 October. Among the short-listed artists for the best live act at the Q Awards are Arctic Monkeys who famously played the Cavern in in 2005, a week before their first single was released. They will be up against Kate Bush, Kasabian, Arcade Fire and Jack White.
This year’s ad campaign features professionally choreographed dance moves, encouraging gum chewers to dispose of gum litter responsibly in a fun and engaging way or face a fine of up to £80. In Liverpool city centre, six distinct locations are being targeted to monitor the sticky problem including outside Central and Moorfields train stations.
An application has been submitted to convert the ground floor of Liverpool’s iconic Lewis’s building into a Lidl supermarket. The budget supermarket giant expects to create 25-30 full and part-time positions at the former department store. The proposed store would have an entrance onto Ranelagh Street, and if successful, it is expected to open its doors in 2015. Meanwhile a planning application to erect an 8 storey extension to the Watson building to create a new hotel on the Central Village site has also been made.
City Central BID has adopted a frosty theme for this Christmas in the city centre.
Buskers’ guide promotes harmony A new guide has been produced to help promote better relations between buskers in Liverpool city centre and local businesses. The Guide to Busking in Liverpool has been produced as a joint initiative by the city council, the Musicians’ Union (MU), the Keep Streets Live Campaign and the BID and it is thought to be the first of its type in the country. The 12 page best practice guide advises buskers, council officers, businesses and residents on issues such as pitch selection, noise levels and the best way of resolving issues. A laminated advice card is also being produced which highlights guidance and recommendations. It is anticipated that the guidance will help reduce the number of complaints and lead to those which continue being resolved amicably. It also sets out the procedures for enforcement should this prove necessary.
A series of snowflakes are to appear creating a magical trail of unique sculptures and decorations. And as a BID business we need you to get involved to spread the festive fun. Here’s how: 1. Deck the halls and win £1,000 We know your store elves work hard on the window displays you have at Christmas, so we will be picking the best dressed and the winning team will win a prize worth £1,000 and £500 for the runners up.
2. Be part of the snowflake trail! We are working with Open Culture to connect the city with a trail of snowflakes and we want your business to be involved by displaying a window sticker as part of the trail. 3. Spread the good will. Send us your festive news, events and offers via social media and get them uploaded onto our app! @CityCentralBID @thisLiverpool
ZIP-WIRE TO RETURN? The UK’s first city centre zip-wire ride may return next summer, due to popular demand. Now talks have now begun with Mellors Cook, Radio City, and Wetherspoons. Group to see if the ride can return to The giant 800 ft long ride saw dare Church Street next summer. devils ascend a 115 ft station on
Freddie Flintoff takes a flier on the wire
In its seven week summer run the Liverpool Wire hosted thousands and generated an estimated £150,000 for charities.
One kind hearted rider used the adrenaline fuelled attraction to rack up £5,000 for the British Heart Foundation and two city council workers raised almost £10,00 for a children’s charity. Several city centre businesses also used the event to raise money for good causes such as Lloyds Bank, Thomas
Coming up... • Liverpool FC v Real Madrid • Liverpool BID Company AGM 22 October Aloft Hotel • Liverpool Irish Festival 23 October – 2 November
• School Half Term St Johns Shopping Centre is hosting the ECHO’s prestigious Baby of the Year competition for the first time. After a 3 year run at Clayton Square Shopping centre, the event has moved while the centre is upgraded. The Baby of the Year competition will run until Sunday, 2 November, with photographers snapping away between 10am and 4.30pm Monday-Saturday and 11am-4pm on Sundays.
27 – 31 October
• Halloween 31 October
• Fireworks Night 5 November
• Armistice Day 11 November
12 November 8.30am
• Launch of City Central Christmas HA
• Little Red Riding Hood Everyman 29 November – 17 January • Jack and The Beanstalk Epstein Theatre
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christmas
11 December – 4 January
• Aladdin Liverpool Empire
by Liverpool
13 December – 4 January
• Dreaming of a Barry White Christmas Echo Arena
This Christmas, Jack Frost is transforming Liverpool city centre into a frozen wonderland of festive fun for young and old.
• Scouse of the Antarctic Royal Court 21 December – 17 January
Explore the city along his Snowflake Trail, feasting your eyes on sculptures, light projections, street art and magical window displays in some of the city’s best shopping spaces. Pick up a trail map from one of the designated locations along the way and solve the clues for the chance to win amazing prizes throughout the Christmas period.
Thursday, 20 November – Friday, 19 December
Send us your views
Tracey Crosbie, Events Manager for Liverpool BID Company, said: “The response from the public and businesses to the Liverpool Wire was brilliant”.
20 November 2014 – 3 January 2015 Various City Centre locations
15 December – 3 January
• Christmas Market Lord Street, Paradise Street, Williamson Square
Church Street before high-flying over thousands of shoppers on a wire at speeds of up to 40mph.
HHH Star Event HHH Snowflake Trail
20 November
of the year 2014
To get involved please email samantha.mccauley @liverpoolbidcompany.com or call 0151 233 4358.
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City Central BID, 76-78 Lord Street, Liverpool L2 1TA Tel: 0151 233 2736 www.citycentralbid.com Email your latest news and pictures to: michael.doran@liverpoolbidcompany.com You can now follow City Central on and on dark background
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