Cambridge Business Improvement District: Annual Review 2020/21

Cambridge Business Improvement District:

Supporting our City and High Street Annual Review 2020/21

Overview Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID) is a collaboration of 1,200 businesses, working together to create a world-class experience for all who visit, live and

Board of Directors Nominated by the local business community and

work in Cambridge, a global city.

representing a cross-section of sectors from within the

Launched in April 2013, the organisation received a mandate in

extended BID Area, our Board of Directors drives forward

November 2017 to continue its work for a second five-year term,

the agenda on which BID Area businesses voted at the

following a Renewal Ballot in which 80 per cent of voters gave their

beginning of the BID term.

backing to the Business Plan for 2018-2023. In the process, the BID

The following directors were in post at the end of March 2021:

Area was extended to incorporate the CB1 area and Station Square; the threshold above which businesses pay a levy was also increased

Roger Allen (Chair)

The Lion Yard

(Shopping Centre)

from £20,000 to £30,000.

Ian Sandison (CEO)

Boudoir Femme

(Independent)

Anne Bannell

Jacks on Trinity

(Independent)

Luis Navarro

Nanna Mexico

(Independent)

Dominic Joyce

John Lewis

(National)

Robert Davey

Metro Bank

(National)

Simon Wallis

Brookgate

(Professional)

Valerie Lambert

HCR Hewitsons LLP

(Professional)

Nick Finlayson-Brown

Mills & Reeve

(Professional)

David Ormrod

The Regal

(Night Time)

Edward Adshead

Gonville Hotel

(Tourism)

Andrew Lloyd

Cambridge University

(Educational)

Glen Sharp

Trinity Hall College

(Educational)

Rosy Moore

Cambridge City Council*

Mathew Shuter

Cambridgeshire County Council*

During this second term, almost £5 million of private sector funding will be invested in the city through Cambridge BID. This will be used to underpin existing projects - delivered under the Welcome, Experience and Support workstreams - and enable new initiatives that will attract new talent and business, while raising the city's profile still further on the global stage.

*Local Authority Appointed This annual report is for the year ending March 31st 2021.

Foreword from the Chair These past 18 months have been unprecedented and turned the global business world upside down. In a time where the world has seen multiple lockdowns, closing, and reopening

Rebuilding Much work has already gone into making the city alive again,

of businesses, all sectors have seen the impact that

with the Cows About Cambridge Trail this summer encouraging

Covid-19 has had.

thousands of people to explore the city and visit places they might

Businesses large and small have fought to manage the

not usually go to. Never has it been more important to encourage

consequences for their own livelihoods, their employees,

our residents to re-engage with their city and enjoy all its offerings.

and their customers. It's been a tough year for many.

With the loss of Visit Cambridge and the Tourist Information

Looking back over 2020/21 financial year, yes Cambridge BID has had to adapt and deliver a slightly different program of projects to

Centre, the role of Cambridge BID has expanded to include Visitor Management and the promotion of the city to a global audience.

meet the needs of the businesses during these times. Being nimble

Roger Allen,

allowed them to do so, and I'm sure you will agree that delivery has

Chair, Cambridge BID

continued at a great pace.

Remaining Positive

"Cambridge is a fascinating city and incredibly well placed to make

Being able to sit back and look over this last year has been an

a strong come back. The team at

important exercise. Cambridge BID is committed to bringing

Cambridge BID are working hard to

businesses together in a community and facilitating them to act and help the city recover. Footfall is already on the increase,

ensure we are part of the recovery and

without the usual oversees tourist numbers, Cambridge is proving

give businesses the tools they need

to be popular with Staycationers and is still very much seen as

to come back bigger & stronger."

World Class destination.

Roger Allen, Chair of Cambridge BID

The Stats

Welcome Working with key stakeholders within the city to co-ordinate, organise & deliver a range of projects to create a welcoming, friendly city for all.

Clean Streets Working in partnership with Cambridge City Council, during 2020/21 the cleaning schedule was replicated as previous years, albeit at a slightly reduced frequency. This enabled some cost savings during the pandemic year. All cleansing undertaken is always in addition to

55 8 80 27

Streets cleaned Hot spots cleaned regularly CAMBAC Memberships paid Streets illuminated for Christmas

Christmas Lights The Christmas lights were installed in November 2020, just as the country moved into another lockdown. They did provide a nice glow during the quiet evenings and once the city reopened in December, they certainly helped consumers get into the festive spirit.

CAMBAC Our work with Cambridge Business Against Crime (CAMBAC)

the City Council programme, not replacing it.

continues and for BID Levy Paying businesses that join the radio

The Rapid Response initiative did continue, however as expected

scheme, Cambridge BID will cover the cost of the CAMBAC

usage was relatively low during this year. The call-out service

Membership. At the end of March 2021, we assisted 80 businesses

continues and enables businesses to call the team between

with their fees. Street Pastors were paused during the pandemic

8am - 11am should the business be faced with a messy shop front.

and Taxi Marshalls were reinstated each time the city reopened.

Night-time Our interim Purple Flag submission was postponed from June 2020 to June 2021 however work has been going on behind the scenes to support the night-time economy to ensure we keep our Purple Flag Status. October 2020 saw the first Purple Flag Month in Cambridge, where working in partnership with CAMBAC, Cambridge BID produced a 4-page article in Cambridge Independent highlighting Purple Flag and the evening and night-time offer.

Case Study:

City Ambassadors The Ambassador team are the face of the BID to many businesses. On street each day, working with the business community and assisting visitors on all things Cambridge the team are a huge asset to the city.

Following the closure of Visit Cambridge in March 2020, the City Ambassadors were transferred to the Cambridge BID team.

During a turbulent 12 months, the team have had to adapt their duties and assist with a range of business support activities including helping businesses with their social distancing merchandise, supporting the City Council and the Covid Marshal team as well as fulfilling their all-important role of helping visitors navigate the city and the environmental reporting that they undertake.

During the three lockdowns, the team were furloughed, and on each return, they were motivated, driven, and keen to get back out

"The team have shown great resilience

there. Throughout Summer 2020 the team continued their visitor

throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

interactions and bearing in mind the city was closed for much of

A difficult business decision had to

the year, they still assisted many people and carried out numerous

be made to furlough the team each

business visits often delivering many Covid Floor stickers and updating businesses on how the City Centre was reopening.

lockdown, but each time they returned full of gusto and ready to start their roles. The Board and Cambridge BID team are incredibly proud of the Ambassadors and how they have dealt with this situation."

Ian Sandison, CEO Cambridge BID

The Stats

Experience Visitor experience is an important consideration for ensuring Cambridge remains a world-class destination. Cambridge BID seek to ensure Cambridge remains a fun and vibrant

5,500 30,000+ 50,000+ 40,000

views of Eat Out to Help Out webpage people reached with Support Local Listing during November lockdown tuned into the The Big Switch On at Home event raised for Street Aid

Street Aid In 2020/21 just over £40,000 was donated to Street Aid and 84

city through promotions, events and projects that animate

Grants were given out. Cambridge BID continue to support Street

and entertain.

Aid and during the pandemic, paid for 4 new contactless donation

Marketing & PR When the city started to reopen, a comprehensive marketing and PR plan was put into place. Working with a variety of print and digital

terminals to be installed across the city bringing the total to 15.

Visit Cambridge A consortium of Cambridge BID, Cambridge City Council, Fitzwilliam

media, the message was 'Cambridge is safe and open'.

Museums Enterprises and Kings College have bought the assets

A series of 'Know Before you Go' videos were produced to give

of Visit Cambridge and are working on launching a new model

customers the confidence that businesses in the city were taking

and website to develop the visitor offer for the city. This involves

measures to ensure that they were safe to visit. Working with Star

significant new investment on behalf of our businesses that are part

Radio, Breakfast Presenter Josh visited businesses and walked the

of this economy.

customer journey so viewers could see all the new Covid measures implemented. Over 30,000 people viewed the videos.

Visit Cambridge is committed to ensuring that every visitor has the best experience, and will promote the area regionally, nationally,

A lot of digital and website work has been delivered to support the

and internationally. Due to the popularity of Cambridge as a day trip

National Eat Out to Help Out campaign in Summer 2020 with over

destination (visitors only stay for an average of three hours), a key

5,500 visits to our listings page and the online Support Local Listing

focus is to encourage visitors to stay longer and explore further.

reached over 30,000 people through social media.

Cows About Cambridge

As the old Visit Cambridge website was taken offline, a temporary site was built and made live by the Cambridge BID team (www.visitcambridge.org). This temporary website will be replaced

Cambridge BID are still leading on the delivery of our citywide 'Cows

this autumn by a new high functioning website, which appeals

about Cambridge' public art project which has been delivered in the

to both local and international visitors. Travel is now a hugely

of Summer 2021.

online world, and the website needs to reflect this by being user friendly and mobile ready. The Visit Cambridge website will be the primary resource for all visitors and residents in the Cambridge area, offering inspiration and guidance on how visitors can make the most of their stay.

Case Study:

Love Cambridge Love Christmas With large scale events an impossibility, it was time to turn

"We were so pleased to work with

to online. The Christmas Lights Switch On event is a staple

Cambridge BID on the Christmas

in the Cambridge calendar, one that is usually attended by thousands of people each year. A community focus with

Lights At Home programme in 2020,

local schools, choirs, dance schools and musicians using it

which enabled us to bring festive joy

as a platform to show off their hard work, it's an important

to thousands of people across the city

event not just for the business community but also the residents and visitors alike.

during such a challenging time. Despite

Working in partnership with Star Radio, an acorn of an idea of

the lockdown, many groups who would

recreating the Switch On moment online, developed into a full day's

normally have joined us on stage were

activity with on air performances from The Rock Choir, Sing Choir,

instead able to perform and showcase

Tom Korni and even Santa Claus himself made an appearance.

The show was an all-day affair, culminating in a 2-minute video

their talent on the radio. We were

showcasing the lights across the city and of course the big switch

pleased to have engaged with so many

on moment filmed at Market Square. The video was played out on

people through the programme, giving

Facebook as a live event, which had over 7,000 people watching and approximately 50,000 views over the course of the following days.

a much-loved Cambridge event a virtual

The event took place during the November lockdown so although

home during the pandemic."

the city wasn't officially open to reap the benefits of the event immediately, it did mean that once they could fling their doors open again on 2nd December, the city was ready.

Freddie Scherer, Managing Director and Director of Programming, Star Radio

The Stats 80,000 200+ 2,500 8

£

of Gift Card Sales - an increase of 67% from previous year Businesses accepting the Gift Card webpage views Meet the Owners Footfall count lines across the city Weekly & Monthly Performance Reports Published

Support Covid-19 Response

encouraging employers to purchase for their staff in lieu of

In a year like no other, our focus switched to offering more

December saw the launch of the Love Cambridge Gift Card Pop Up

business support than previous years. From March 2020 weekly

Shop in Lion Yard. This enabled gift cards to be sold in person as

webinars were introduced to help support the business community

opposed to just online and increased the visibility of the Gift Card to

understand the packages of help offered by the Government.

the consumer audience.

Helping with furlough questions, business grants, Cbils, Bounce Back Loans and more, the weekly sessions soon became a wealth of information for many. It was also an opportunity for businesses to reconnect with their peers albeit online.

Christmas parties or traditional gifts.

The Love Cambridge Gift Card has had a bumper year and as it can only be spent in person, it really gives an opportunity to the city to upsell and encourage people in for longer.

distancing merchandise where Cambridge BID floor stickers, posters,

City Performance

signage and queuing guidelines were distributed across the city.

As we start to adjust to a new way of living, understanding how

When restrictions started easing, support came in the form of social

Cambridge is performing is key. Cambridge BID publishes a range

Local Authority Collaboration

of documents to help in this process. Each Tuesday we publish

The relationship with Cambridge City Council has always been

how footfall faired compared to the previous week and year both as

positive and productive therefore Cambridge BID were in a strong

a whole and by counter location. We have seven count lines across

position to work collaboratively with them to implement a range

the city: Sidney Street; Bridge Street; Fitzroy Street; Kings Parade;

of short-term measures to help support the city. These include

Rose Crescent; Market Hill and Station Road. We also publish

supporting the free parking for NHS and Key Workers, the £1 per

monthly footfall data for these seven counters in the few days after

hour parking charge during the autumn to encourage people back

the month finishes.

into the city and the communal seating that was implemented in

Our monthly Cambridge Performance Report brings together footfall

March 2021, enabling more people to sit outside and enjoy food

counter information alongside footfall data from shopping centres,

and drink during a time when eating inside was still not permissible.

car parking usage and both Park & Ride and Guided Busway usage.

Love Cambridge Gift Card The Love Cambridge Gift Card is accepted in around 200 locations across the BID area. Sales for 2020/21 exceeded £80,000 - all of which must be spent in a BID Area business. Strong sales occurred in the run up to Christmas, following a corporate campaign

footfall from the previous week so businesses like yours can see

It also shows the work of our City Ambassadors by indicating how many visitors they have seen, for example. All this information provides a good basis to understand how Cambridge is performing and responding to this challenging period.

Case Study:

Supporting Local As the world started to close, the panic started to set in.

The Hidden Gems Campaign focussed on a series of Meet

Businesses were suddenly faced with a bigger challenge

the Owner interviews and videos, a new consumer website

of how to compete online.

(love-cambridge.com) and Curated Cambridge, a library of themed

Of course, businesses have a loyal customer base and there are some people that will only ever shop locally but the power of the internet meant that more and more people started shopping conveniently and that would usually result in a certain Prime Delivery driver knocking on your door just hours after placing your order.

In August 2020, the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme was launched Nationally and was supported by Cambridge BID by driving people to support their local restaurant or bar. An online list and social media campaign followed detailing those businesses that had signed up to

guides and trails. A real community is beginning to grow which is supported by a range of window stickers and merchandise, so the consumer gets a real sense of a joined-up approach across Cambridge retailers.

Of course, there's always more we can do to support local, and the Independent Support Fund has increased for 2021 enabling more projects to be delivered to support this vital sector.

"Cambridge has a fantastic independent

the campaign.

offering which contributes vast amounts

During the November lockdown a lot of work was put into an online

to this city, in terms of the rates they

directory of which businesses were trading online or were offering a

pay, the people they employ, all the

click and collect service, this was invaluable to some as their online presence was not comparable to the big high street names.

The Independent Support Fund has always been there to support

money they return to the local economy.

Cambridge BID does a great job

the independent businesses in the city and 2020 was no different.

celebrating and showcasing independent

It continues to deliver a range of projects designed solely to

businesses and encouraging supporting

promote the wealth of unique businesses Cambridge has to offer.

local. They especially help those businesses not in clear view, operating

THERE’S

a story behind every product in Cambridge

BRINGING UNIQUE &

thoughtful

.c o .uk

advertising."

GIFTS TO CAMBRIDGE

Alex Signorelli, Business Owner of Signorelli's Deli, MEET THE OWNERS

l o ve-cambridge

on small margins or unable to invest in

La Piazza and Il Mercato

2020/21 Income BID levy

£975,168

Voluntary BID contributions Sponsorship

Finances

£0 £5,662

Fold out maps

£750

Interest receivable

£305

Other income

Total

£150,110

£1,131,690

Over 95% of businesses that remained trading paid their

Expenditure

levy in 2020-21 and since our project delivery was reduced

Operating and other costs

£191,141

our Board agreed in January 2021 to allocate £150k of these

Welcome

£327,782

savings to our Business Support Grant that we launched in

Experience

May 2021. We are also allocating some of these savings to

Support

further support for the Visit Cambridge brand, a 12-month PR campaign for Visit Cambridge and to boosting our team to support our work. The extent we can support the city going forward is wholly dependent on our levy being paid and we thank those that are up to date with this.

Over the past twelve months, the Board of Directors has ensured that both levy payments and voluntary contributions were used efficiently by Cambridge BID, to meet the stated aims of promoting and improving the city of Cambridge for businesses, organisations, visitors, and residents.

Total Pre Tax (deficit)/surplus for the year

Reserves carried forward*

£69,005 £133,168

£721,096 £410,594

£490,981

*The reserves shown will be invested in the delivery of BID business proposals.

What Does the Future Hold Remaining positive and consistent are what will get us through this year and ones to follow. Cambridge is a very resilient city, and just looking at the high street now proves that the demand for the city is still there.

Footfall remains consistently above the national average and new stores are moving in all the time. Just this year we have seen large brands such Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters moving in and several new Independents including Freckleface, Cambridge Bee, Fredericks, Cubitts, The Wine Rooms, Middletons Steak House, Fantasia, Yellow Korner, Iris and Velvet, and La Latina Bustaurant all adding to the eclectic mix we have in the city.

This summer has already seen glimpses of life as we know it with the screening of the Olympics near the Station, our film nights have returned, our Mystery Shop programme has started once again and we have successfully delivered the fantastic Cows about Cambridge art trail. The team are planning a full year of activity to support our BID business community.

projects and the team to deliver these. All BID Directors represent businesses and organisations in Cambridge. We understand the

As mentioned earlier we did not deliver a full project programme in

pressures that individual businesses are facing because we too are

2020 so in May 2021 we launched our Covid-19 Recovery Grant.

experiencing these on a personal level. In October 2022 we will be

This £150k grant scheme is using savings we made to support levy

holding a ballot for our third term and over this coming winter and

payers. The grant can be used to improve your premises, product

spring we will be inviting businesses to engage in our consultation

offer or online presence. The application process is very simple with

process to shape the next 5 years. That's why I would encourage

full details on our website or email ian.sandison@cambridgebid.co.uk.

you to connect with us. We are here to help your business succeed,

As you can see Cambridge BID is essentially a community business

and we can achieve more if we all work together towards the

fund, which supports businesses, makes the city vibrant, promotes

common goal of seeing our high street and city thrive.

the city, supports many cultural events, and works with other agencies to make our city safe and clean. Your BID levy funds these

Ian Sandison,

projects. We are a not for profit, so all your levy is invested in these

CEO, Cambridge BID

Keep in Touch To tell us what else you would like to see Cambridge BID deliver, or to comment on any of our projects, email

becky.burrell@cambridgebid.co.uk To receive regular email updates from Cambridge BID on issues relevant to your business, send your preferred contact details to info@cambridgebid.co.uk

Connect with us on social media

Contact information

For consuming-facing projects and events, where we regularly

Cambridge Business Improvement District (BID)

support social media campaigns run by BID businesses and

Dashwood House, 185 East Road

organisations, visit:

Cambridge, CB1 1BG

@LoveCambridge_ @LoveCambridge_ @LoveCambs #LoveCambridge For B2B messages, shared for and on behalf of businesses within the BID area, visit: @CambridgeBID Cambridge BID #CambridgeBID

01223 903 300 info@cambridgebid.co.uk www.cambridgebid.co.uk