Contents
CEO Update from Melissa
Footfall Update
Please see the footfall stats for last week (26th July – 1st August) and the YTD trend below. Visitor numbers were up 6% on the week before and represented 82% of footfall for the same week two years ago. Footfall so far this week is up 0.9% on the same period last week.
If we compare total footfall in July 2021 to June 2021, it was down 0.1% month-on-month, which is better than the national average for high streets (down 0.9%). Interestingly, here in Newbury, Monday-Friday footfall during July was up 2% on June, but weekend footfall was down 5.1%.
The busiest day of last week was, as always, Saturday with footfall of 24,787, with peak numbers of visitors seen at around 11am.
General Update
Our BID 2022-2027 “Taking Newbury to the Next Level” consultation will be launched on Monday 9th August. Please look out for your personal email which will link to the consultation document and the survey. Please also look out for our Annual Report 2020-21 which will be shared with you during w/c 9th August.
Please note that, going forward, we will be sending these regular updates to you fortnightly rather than weekly. We will of course send you any urgent/time sensitive updates in-between where necessary. We’ll save all of our general news for every two weeks though to help us be more efficient with our time during such a busy summer period for us!
Important Update from our local Public Protection Partnership
Although England has now moved to “Step 4” of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, businesses should remain cautious while managing the risks as cases of COVID-19 remain high.
All employers must carry out a risk assessment to protect their workers and others from coronavirus (COVID-19).
Details of the requirements and links to advice and resources, including a COVID-19 risk assessment template and examples, can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) website.
Risk assessments should take into account the Government’s sector specific business guidance “Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)”.
PPP are running a webinar to cover some of the guidance and advice and invite you to join them in the hope they can answer any questions you may have or assist further:
Webinar Details:
Topic: Covid: H&S for Businesses Webinar
Time: Aug 10, 2021 09:00 AM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://westberks-gov-uk.zoom.us/j/87563535826?pwd=aWNONGhMZ0FVc29PZnV6ZGRqOEpxQT09
Meeting ID: 875 6353 5826
Passcode: 854844
Join by Skype for Business
https://westberks-gov-uk.zoom.us/skype/87563535826
If you would like any further help or information, please contact the Environmental Health team at EHadvice@westberks.gov.uk
Operations Update from Alison
This week we have been busy organising the remainder of our summer events!
For those of you who missed our wonderful Jazz & Acoustic afternoon music session last Sunday, don’t despair as the music will be back on Sunday 15th with the Disco Shed making their first ever Newbury debut! Yes we are literally bringing a disco in a shed into town for some fun so get your dancing shoes ready!
This Sunday 8th August the Vegan Market is back and Wednesday 11th is our next Family Fun Day with Singing Princesses and free Arts & Crafts activities provided by Corn Exchange, The Ugly Duckling and City Arts!
Looking ahead for our Food & Drink Festival on Saturday 4th September we are seeking local artists so please do get in touch with me with any further suggestions!
ACTION: Don’t forget – the next Artisan Market is on Sunday 29th August and we have FREE STALLS available for this amazing market. Please do get in contact with me asap to register your interest before it’s too late!
ACTION: We will also be delivering a Food & Drink Festival on Saturday 4th September and BID members have a 50% discount on stall hire so please do get in touch asap and get involved!
Don’t forget we offer a FREE weekly cardboard collection service and if you would like more details, please contact me.
ACTION: Please share our next Summer Series event across your social networks!
Marketing Update from Kirsty
I am absolutely delighted to share the news with you all that in July, we hit our website KPI target of 10,000 users! An ambitious target in the first instance; we’re absolutely chuffed to see that over 10k people have a thirst and genuine interest in visiting Newbury and learning more about what our vibrant market town has to offer!
Our homepage topped viewing figures this month with nearly 5k pageviews, followed closely by our events page, demonstrating once again the hunger for activities and things to do in Newbury. This only highlights the importance of the BID continuing to put on town centre events, alongside promoting town centre events and activities held by external organisations. The page with the longest page read time was my ‘Euro 2020: Where to watch in Newbury’ blog, evidencing that the public were looking for local venues to watch the final few games held in July.
Alongside a growing social media following across all our key platforms, over the last month we have also seen significant figures across page reach, actions on page, and post engagement, to name a few. On Instagram, we’ve received 95 new followers since 1st July and reached 8k+ people, including nearly 6k non-followers. We also received an impressive 149 website taps and 42.5k impressions overall. On Twitter this month, we received over 11.5k impressions and over 36k on Facebook through paid-for and organic social content.
I’m also thrilled to share with you the results of our first-ever Visit Newbury Loves Local newsletter as part of our new B2C email marketing channel! Our email received a 61.9% open rate- a phenomenal stat compared to the national average which varies from 19%- 26% (sector dependent). The email also received a 25.6% click-through rate compared to the 2.5% national average. The top bulk of click-throughs was for our Summer Series of Events, and the second highest performing link was for restaurants in Newbury– great to see after a year of struggles for the sector!
Remember, you can read the email here and please hit subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter.
Today I’m also able to report on the first full month of our Digital Advertising Exchange (DAX) audio advert. So far we have delivered 113,018 impressions. On average the advert has been listened to 95.72% of the way through and 107,604 adverts were listened to 100% of the way through.
We have reached 18,384 unique listeners so far and the opportunity to hear is 6.15. 63.5% listened on a smart speaker, perhaps due to the amount of staff still working from home. One perk of this is that those who are smart speaker listening are likely to be sat in front of a laptop/desktop or have a mobile phone in hand, so they can visit our website immediately after hearing the advert. Overall, the campaign is performing very well so far with a great listen through rate.
Furthermore, I can share with you the results of our Digital Everywhere campaign which is proving to be a big success! So far we have received 106,934 impressions and 7,281 click-throughs to the Visit Newbury website. This is receiving a CTR of 6.81% which is a great response.
45,881 impressions have been delivered on web, 41,831 on mobile, 9,920 video and 9,302 native.
This week I finalised and published two NEW press releases: Food and Drink Festival confirmed for Newbury and Visit Newbury’s Summer Series of Events- The Story so Far. Please help us to promote these by sharing the articles across your networks.
As mentioned last week, our Vegan Market returns this weekend and I’ve been working furiously with the illustrator to get the Vegan Trail Map finished in time for the market. Myself and Newbury Town Council have taken things into our own hands to create the map back, as the actual map design has taken much longer than anticipated to complete. I’ve provided an example of our work to the left.
Rangers Update from Shaun
Unfortunately Shaun is still on sick leave so if you have any queries please contact Alison directly in his absence – we wish Shaun a speedy recovery and send him our very best!
Cardboard collection for those registered on the scheme will be collected on Tuesday between the hours of 9am – 5pm so please leave out as you normally do by 9am and it will be collected by close of play. If you are not on the free scheme and would like to find out more please contact Alison directly.
Business Community Updates & Shout Outs
Exclusive Offer for BID Businesses
Energy prices are at unprecedented highs due to the pandemic aftermath and supply and demand issues. Wholesale gas prices are 153% higher than this time last year alone and are continuing to rise so your next energy contract is going to be a large increase in comparison! Local energy experts Fidelity Energy in Park Street, Newbury are giving an exclusive offer to fellow BID businesses to navigate these tricky times and 9 times out of 10 they can beat your initial energy renewal quote! Please contact Russell to get a free energy consultation and review:
Russell Downing
Head of Direct Sales
07703 832 757
0203 805 7721
Newbury Town Council Update
The Town Council’s public consultation on the proposal to raise a loan of up to £300,000 for a new community café has been extended until the end of August. You can read more and have your say here.
The Mayor of Newbury has launched a year long fundraising campaign in support of his chosen charity. Cllr Billy Drummond announced the launch of the ‘One in 100 Fundraising Campaign’ on Saturday 31st July as part of a charity coffee morning for Newbury Speakabilty. Read the full press release here.
Newbury Town Council’s latest monthly newsletter for August 2021 can be viewed here.
West Berkshire Council Update
Coronavirus Weeknotes
Mental Health Support
Government Update
Here are links to the latest updates from the Government:
- Employers ‘named and shamed’ for paying less than minimum wage – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Prime Minister and Chancellor challenge UK investors to create an ‘Investment Big Bang’ in Britain – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- International travel: country listings update – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- JCVI issues updated advice on COVID-19 vaccination of young people aged 16 to 17 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Addressing the climate crisis through culture – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Visa-free short-term touring allowed in 19 member states – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- The PCA Insurance Survey results are in. Here is what they tell us. – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Changes to the training you need for an SIA licence – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Cash boost to create new flexible approach to apprenticeships – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- NHS COVID-19 app updated to notify fewer contacts to isolate – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Chancellor marks Help to Grow scheme launch with teach-in alongside business owners – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- New planning requirements on fire safety come into force – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- More than 85 million COVID-19 vaccines administered in UK – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo help drive vaccine uptake – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Biffa fined £1.5 million for ‘reckless’ export breach – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- New Government survey results underline community spirit generated during pandemic – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Active travel schemes supported by government funding – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Events, Resources & Industry News
Business support during the COVID-19 crisis is available from the following organisations:
- West Berkshire Council – COVID-19 information for businesses – https://info.westberks.gov.uk/coronavirus-business
- Public Protection Partnership – advice and support on COVID guidelines and regulations – https://publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/covid-19/
- Business Growth Hub – free COVID advice and support for businesses in Berkshire – https://www.berkshirebusinesshub.co.uk/
- Government – summary of COVID support available for businesses – https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support
