The High Street of Tomorrow:
Adapting to Meet the Changing
Needs of Consumers
Martin Blackwell
Chief Executive
Association of Town & City Management
Consumer Trends to 2020
Portas Pilots, Town Teams & Programmes
Where are Town Teams Heading?
Business Improvement Districts
Consumer Trends to 2020
Consumer Trends to 2020
•Driven
•Expect
choice
•“Want
to be able to shop
and live on own terms .
Businesses must meet our
needs – anywhere and
anytime”
•Use
technology
•“Technology
is a part of
by value
•“New
outlook, less credit,
high costs, depressed
income”
life, use it for
information, shopping,
socialising, deal
hunting”
•Want
•Getting
•“Focus
older
on good
service and leisure
in nice, safe, local
places”
experiences
•“Leisure
is important.
Want places that offer
unique retail, cultural,
social experiences”
The High Street of Tomorrow
VECTA (value; experience; choice; technology; age)
- 'Clicks and Bricks' (Footfall, Sales, Promotion)
- Changing retail patterns ('alive after five', pop-ups)
- “Beyond Retail” (social, leisure, digital, local, cultural)
Less about High Street, more about Centre
Portas Pilots, Town Teams & Markets
What are they?
Product of the Portas Review (2011)
- Engand only
27 Portas Pilots
- £100k Government funding
- Testing recommendations of review
- Sharing knowledge & best practice
330+ Town Teams
- £10k Government funding
- Generally informal partnerships
What are they working on?
- Markets
- Pop-up spaces
- Entrepreneur incubation
- Skills, training & mentoring
- Public realm development & enhancement
- Place Branding (marketing & promotion)
- Business grants & loan funds
- Asset management (community right to buy)
- Volunteering
- Increasing perceptions of safety
- Art installations & culture-led events
- Environmental sustainability
- Digital High Street
- Place Managers (coordinators;
ambassadors)
- Strategic planning
- Youth engagement & employment
How town centres used to be
…
… and town centres today?
Where are Town Teams Heading?
BIDs & PP/TTs
Both have:

Created enthusiam & formed partnerships
• Focused on important local issues, along a broad spectrum

Begun to take 'ownership' of their own destiny

Reinvested community knowledge into decision-making
“Reinventing High Streets by reinvesting social capital”
Models for the Future?
Business
Needs
BIDs
Community &
Social Interests
Local
Authority
Town Centre
Managers
Portas Pilots
Town Teams
Raising the Quality of Town
Centres in the Future
Destinations
Mixed use
• Safe, attractive & fun
• A balance of activities &
attractions
Leisure & NTE
• An integral part of the offer
Consumer
responsive
• Capture the missing market
Management 24/7
• Self-regulating neighbourhoods
Source: Coca-Stefaniak J A (2013), “A strategic approach – a must or a maybe?”,
The Geographer, Spring 2013, p. 7
Diversity of TCM approaches
Formal schemes
Darwen (UK)
St Helens (UK)
Public
funding
Salzburg (AUT)
Lille (FRA)
Terrassa (ESP)
Vasterås
(SWE)
Łodz (POL)
Ludlow (UK)
Business
Improvement
Districts (UK)
Cesena
(IT)
Private
funding
Granollers (ESP)
Informal schemes
Source: Coca-Stefaniak et al (2009), “Evolution of town centre and place
management models: a European perspective”, Cities, Vol. 26, Issue 2, pp. 74-80.
So what?
Source: Coca-Stefaniak J A (2013), Successful town centres – developing effective
strategies, Gloucester: ATCM-GFirst
Source: Coca-Stefaniak (2013)
Source: Coca-Stefaniak (2013)
Source: Coca-Stefaniak (2013)
Source: Coca-Stefaniak (2013)
B
D
A
C
Taking things forward –
Researching your town
(perception v. reality?)
5
All
4
Average
3
2
1
0
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
1
2
3
4
5
Moving forward
Soul searching
Developing a shared vision
Research your town centre
Discuss results with key decision makers
Gap analysis (present to future)
Quick wins
Dream … but remain realistic about short term
What is a BID?
BID = Business Improvement District
Non-profit management company limited by guarantee




Business-led
Business funded
Business focused
Specific to a defined area
Evolution of BIDs



First BID 1969 in Toronto
Now over 2000 BID in North America
(New York = 64 BIDs)
160+ BIDs in UK
Examples also in Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Serbia, South
Africa & New Zealand
What do BIDs do?

Represent the needs of business & consumers

Provides a strong collective voice

Ensures a sense of ownership in local desicion making

Create sustainable funding for 'additionality'...
North America
Evovled to address the 'downtown crisis' through 1980's
and 1990s.
The 'Doughnut Effect'



Population movement
Big-box retail
Ring doughnut vs jam-filled
How is it Funded?
1) Through the BID Levy

Based on a % of local business rates

Money is collected by Local Authority & given to BID company
The BID Ballot Process
•
Select a defined area
•
Conduct a Feasibility Study & prepare the database
•
Consultation – understanding business needs
•
Prepare a Business Plan & promote this
•
Commence your ballot
•
–
50%+ of those voting must say ‘yes’
–
50+% of the aggregate RV of voters must be a ‘yes’
Maximum five year term
BID Development, Renewal and Training
School
BID Training School
• Phase One (1 – 3 months) is ideal for anyone
thinking of establishing a BID.
• You will receive tailored support through two
group workshops and a location visit from our
BID specialist.
• We’ll take you through:
• Where to start on your BID journey
• The consultation process & talking to stakeholders
• Developing your boundary and setting goals
• Projecting your BID levy income
BID Training School
Phase Two (Months 4-12)
• Five workshops and four location visits to
ensure you get the face-to-face guidance
throughout the process.
• Topics covered include:
• Develop your action plan & Proposal document •
How to agree baselines with local authorities & set
KPIs, deal with accounting and other company law
requirements • Make the most of Board members’ time
• Engaging with voters at local and national level
VECTA
•Driven
•Expect
choice
•“Want
to be able to shop
and live on own terms .
Businesses must meet our
needs – anywhere and
anytime”
•Use
technology
•“Technology
is a part of
by value
•“New
outlook, less credit,
high costs, depressed
income”
life, use it for
information, shopping,
socialising, deal
hunting”
•Want
•Getting
•“Focus
older
on good
service and leisure
in nice, safe, local
places”
experiences
•“Leisure
is important.
Want places that offer
unique retail, cultural,
social experiences”
Small business skills gap
Some stark facts…
1.6 million SMEs do not have basic digital skills
As many as 37% of SME’s do not have a website
Only 1% of SMEs use social media to generate
revenue
Digital Skills Workshops
Module 1: Understand Your Customer and Digital
Marketing – this module covers the basics of marketing right
through to online channels.
Module 2: Develop Your Business Online – introduction to
e-commerce and virtual shops – why it isn’t optional anymore
to have a web presence.
Module 3: Grow Your Business Through Social Media –
provide an introduction to social media content, how to make
it easier to generate business and keep engaged with your
customer.
Thank you
Martin Blackwell
Assocaition of Town & City Managment
@ATCMUK
T: 0300 3300 980
E: martin.blackwell@atcm.org