THE TOWN TEAM

CIVIC BRIEFING

Community Groups that Sustain and

Promote the Town and What they Do

Civic Society

Blandford +

Town Team

Town Museum

DT11 ForumCommunity Partnership

Blandford Business Group

Heritage Group

Community

Clean Up Blandford Campaign

Regeneration Group

Town

Accountable Councils

Blandford Forum Town Council

North Dorset District Council

Dorset County Council

Town Team: Aim

Support the development and enhancement of a vibrant

town centre, including its unique Georgian heritage,

community spirit, profitable and attractive businesses

and tourist attractions - in and around the Town, the

River Stour and the wonderful local countryside - for the

benefit of those who live, shop, work, have local businesses and visit Blandford.

Town Team: Objectives• Develop an Action Plan for the Town Centre that builds on existing strengths and

is endorsed by the local community and local government;

• Develop project and funding plans to secure funding for agreed and endorsed

proposals;

• Consult with Accountable Councils to ensure consent is obtained before any

actions are carried out;

• Monitor the activities of the Accountable Councils in relation to the progress of

endorsed Town Team projects, and hold to account where appropriate;

• Where agreed, support Accountable Councils and Community Groups initiatives

and policies;

• Collaborate with Accountable Councils, other local community groups and

working groups where there are areas of mutual interest and benefit, and ensure

there is no duplication of effort or funding;

• Communicate regularly with stakeholders and the wider community about

progress;

• Ensure open debate, so that local people can input their views and ideas and get

involved, and be open to new ideas and proposals;

• Follow best practice for local and national Town Team initiatives;

• The Town Team may as an entity not run specific Projects, these may be

delegated to designated Town Team working groups.

THE TOWN TEAM/ NDDC BLANDFORD RETAIL SURVEY

Oct 2015 – JAN 2016

CIVIC BRIEFING ON

“WHAT WAS SAID”

Thanks

• Susan Sullivan – NDDC• Hugh de longe – NDDC

• Retailers who completed the survey

Interview Team

• Meg Denning

• Ros Nelmes

• Julie Wigg

• Kat Clark

• Tony Hall

• Adrian Ford

• Sharon Johns

• Mike Jones

• Mark Bellman

• Nic Nicol

What informed our survey

Local surveys that informed our survey

• 2014-15 Town Survey

• 2015 Gillingham High Street Business survey – Town Team/ NDDC

National reports 2014

• (Mary) Portas Report

• Telegraph Manifesto for Our Shops

• Grimsey Review

• The Deloitte Consumer Review – Reinventing the role of the high street

• Future High Street Forum findings

Methodology

• Draft survey run past two long established retailers in the town and changes made as a result

• Interviews

– carried out by team of 10 volunteers

– or left with retailers who filled in, interviewers returned and asked any questions

– Anonymity essential, detailed responses more important

• Collation completed by NDDC Susan Sullivan

• Analysis completed by David Rose

Assumptions

• The High Steet is defined as the town centre – in the case of Blandford comprising: East St, West St, Salisbury Road to opposite Bedlam Yard, Whitelciff Mill St to opposite Ryan Court, the Plocks and Tabernacle and all the passages associated with these streets with retail locations.

• For the type of outlet: the term “Defined use” is the activity where the majority of the spend is.

Exclusions. The survey did not cover – but they were raised:

• Business rates/ planning laws – a National and Country government issue

• Parking charges – as we would all wish free parking, this is an NDDC issue.

Changes in the high street

Total store numbers will fall by 22%, from 281,930 in 2013 to 220,000 in 2018. Telegraph Manifesto for Our Shops -What Works Well 23/11/13

• 1 in 5 shops vacant – 2012

• 1 in 6 shops vacant – 2013

Changes in the high street

•Online retail grown from 5% of total shopping bill in 2006 to 15% in 2013 and expected to be 25% in 2020. Telegraph Manifesto for Our Shops - What Works Well 23/11/13•The share of online retail sales will rise from 12.7% (2012) to 21.5% by 2018 or the end of the decade. A guide to retailing in 2018 by the Centre for Retail Research

•In spite of the Portas Pilots, the High Street will continue to suffer: around 41% of town centres will lose 27,638 stores in the next five years. (2014)•Declining retail outlets in the UK

•Clothing•Travel Agents

•Increasing retail outlets in the UK•Coffee•Charity •E-cigarette•Bookmakers•Discount stores

•Guardian 16 Mar 2015 reporting on 2014

2015 Blandford survey• 83% of surveys had free text comments about the poor retail mix•Want more

•Clothing•Want less

•Cafes•Charity•Takeaways•Estate Agents

Who took part

• 66 of approximately 180 retail outlets

70%

14%

14%

2%

Of those who took part the split was:

Shop

Financial andProffesional uses

Food and Drink

Non-residentialinstitution

52

6

6

2

10%

9%

81%

Type of Outlet

National Chain Regional Chain Local Independent

12

59%

38%

3%

Ownership?

Owners alsomanage

Manageremployed

Not answered

6%

25%

26%

43%

Length of time trading in the town centre

Less than a year 1 to 7 Years 7 to 15 Years 15 + Years

4

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Would you consider opening later? Would it be worth openingSundays?

Are you open during town events?

Is it worth opening more than currently

Yes No Not Answered

Current Opening timesMonday - Friday Earliest - 04.30 Latest – 23.59Saturday Earliest - 08.00 Latest – 23.59Sunday Earliest - 09.00 Latest – 23.59

What does the following mean to you and your business?

3

Experience

• Knowledgeable, helpful friendly and understanding staff who can offer a personal and trusted service to our customer’s

Choice

• Wide range of retail businesses in the town.

• Wide range of products in stock or services provided

• ‘Something different’ from the big chains, adapt items to suit

• More than one provider

Convenience

• Easy, safe and quick to get to on foot and by car

• Being able to satisfy our local customer’s needs

• Opening times to help our customers

• Our customers are most likely to use us

• In the town centre

• In housing areas

Local

• Local customer catchment

– Walking distance

– Blandford & surrounding villages - DT11 / 6 mile radius (to counter Wimborne/ Sturminster)

– 15 mile radius

– Do not have to travel too far

• Locally owned family business

• Knowing our customers

• Producers/suppliers within DT11

• Serving the community

What are the main issues facing the Town Centre and holding it back?

5

Retail30%

Environment19%

Place to live/visit19%

Transport Links14%

Leisure10%

E-connectivity8%

14

Parking23%

Market14%

Internet15%

Signage15%

Environment12%

Location9%

Good Service9%

Public Transport3%

The top three things that impact on footfall

• Reliability – consistency of performance and dependability

• Responsiveness – willingness of employees to provide the

service; timeliness

• Competence – possession of the required skills and

knowledge to perform the service

• Access – approachability and ease of contact

• Courtesy – politeness, respect and consideration of contact

personnel

• Communication – informing customers in language that they

understand

• Credibility – trustworthiness, honesty, having the customer’s

best interest at heart

• Security – freedom from danger, risk and doubt

• Understanding the customer – tailoring to specific needs

• Tangibles – physical evidence of the service

Determinants of service quality

How would you rate the Town Centre?

25%

50%

75%

6

14

27%

52%

21%

Is the market of any consequence to your footfall?

Yes No Not Answered

18

26%

18%

27%

29%

Pop-up shops: benefit, threat or not an issue?

Benefit Not an Issue Threat Not Answered

15

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Fri/Sat after6pm

All day Sat Sat after 1pm All day sun For events Reversetraffic flow

What would be the impact on retail of closing the market square to traffic:

Positive Impact Minimal Impact Negative Impact Not Answered

Heritage

16

THE WEEK – 30 NOV 13 - A Georgian market town“the most exquisite example of

small-town Georgian architecture”

THE GUARDIAN – SEP 13 -blogs

This is a little Bath in brick.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Is there anyimpact on your

business workingin a building in a

conservationarea?

Is there anyimpacts on your

business withGrade listedrestrictions?

How could theheritage of the ofthe town centre

be used toimprove your

footfall?

Would a"Georgian"

restricted colourpallet for shop

fronts impact onyour footfall?

Significant

None

Not Answered

20/21

21

4 4

32

4743

9 10 12

Do you offer homedelivery?

Do you offer a clickand collection

service?

Could you envisageoffering a click and

collect service?

Home Delivery / Collection

Yes No N/a

48

16

35

16

45

25

2 5 6

Do you have awebsite?

Do you offer apurchase service

over your website?

Do you have asocial media page?

Social media and e-sales

Yes No Not Answered

24

The top three things the Councils should do

Make parking more customer friendly

21%

Maintain pavements and roads14%

Reduce buisness rates 7%

Improve town signage

7%

Advertise the town

6%Meet with local businesses5%

Improve the traffic flow5%

Deal with landlords who do no maintain their property or keep

it empty5%

Improve street cleaning4%

Manage drug users4%

Regulate disabled parking3%

Stop the market 2%

Improve the rubbish collection frequency

2%

Reduce listed buildings

regulations2%

Maintain building frontages2%

Implement zebra crossings2%

Put promotional signs on bypass1% Maintain the CCTV

1%

Improve the public transport1%

Encourage new businesses

1%

Regulate lorries parking in the High street

1%

Ensure the toilets are

open1%

Promote events1%

24

Empty Shops Campaign

‘Blandford wants your business’

Availability

• The survey briefing will be put on Form focus web-site and made available to any organisation who requests it

• The processed data will be made available to the Accountable Councils (DCC, NDDC, Blandford Town Council) representatives and the Blandford Business Group

Summary – key points

• Something for everyone to takeaway and formulate their priorities/ policies to promote our High Street

• The retailers (Blandford Business Group) – need to work collectively to give the public what they need and want

– the public need a reason to purchase a product or service in the local High St – and retailers providing a “quality service” in a good environment is key

• NDDC and the Town Council – times are difficult and things are happening but some things are taking too long– we need the market issue sorted

– resolution of poor environmental service delivery and enforcement of breaches quickly and publically

• Positively promoting the town and our High Street – we all have a role