Business Breakfast: Harrogate BID to host energy saving workshops for businesses

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) is to hold three workshops around saving energy.

The organisation is partnering with energy consultant Ryan Edwards to look at ways of dealing with rising electricity and gas prices.

There will be three events during the day on Monday, September 19.

The first is being held at Hustle & Co on Prince Albert Terrace at 9.30am, the second on Zoom at 11am and the third at 5.30pm at Starling Café on Oxford Street.

The sessions will last between 30 and 45 minutes.

Business who want to attend the Zoom meeting have been asked to email the BID for the link.

Matthew Chapman, Manager of Harrogate BID, said:

“We are acutely aware of the struggles our members are continually having when it comes to understanding, managing and securing new energy contracts for their businesses.”

He said Mr Edwards has expertise that will be helpful:

“He will be able to help us have a better understanding of what is happening within the energy market, and offer practical advice on securing energy contracts.

“Ryan works with more than 26 UK Suppliers, so can assure you that he can find the very best contracts on the market at this time.

“He can also bulk buy energy by buying all Members energy, at the same time driving the unit prices down significantly. It goes without saying, the more businesses we can get involved, the cheaper the unit.”

Read more:

Richard Levin of Loop Cashmere, Anne Blanden of Finance Yorkshire, Claire Heathcote of Loop Cashmere and Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire

Harrogate cashmere company secures Finance Yorkshire investment

Harrogate luxury cashmere brand Loop Cashmere has secured funding from the business loan organisation Finance Yorkshire.

The company makes its products using sustainable yarn from Inner Mongolia.

The £250,000 it has secured has gone towards opening a warehouse in Leeds and appoint a head of marketing.

Claire Heathcote opened the business with Richard Levin two years ago. She said:

“We saw a gap in the market for a sustainable cashmere brand offering contemporary styles made in the softest high-quality cashmere. Sustainability is the heart of brand from the way we source our sustainably accredited yarn, who we select as expert makers to craft our styles, our small production runs and the use of recyclable and compostable packaging.”

Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said:

“In just two years Loop Cashmere has developed a strong brand with sustainable credentials which will appeal to fashion-conscious customers. We look forward to supporting them in the next chapter of their growth journey.”

Weeds blitz in Harrogate town centre

A cleaning crew has been tacking weeds on some of Harrogate busiest shopping streets to improve the town’s appearance.

Contractors have been pulling up weeds and using herbicides for three consecutive nights on streets including Victoria Avenue, Cambridge Street, Albert Street, Crescent Road and Oxford Street.

They are acting on behalf of Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has a remit to enhance the town centre appearance.

Over the last 18 months it has also power washed pavements and street furniture, increased floral displays and brightened empty shop windows.

Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate BID, said town centre weeds had been a “major talking point”, adding:

“The team worked for a number of nights pulling weeds by hand, using garden tools as well as spraying them with an environmentally-safe herbicide.

“With autumn and winter just around the corner, we hope this work will mean they are kept at bay until the spring.

“For our levy payers, it’s imperative that Harrogate looks at its best at all times, and that’s what we are working hard to achieve.”

Read more:

 

‘New normal’ will be good for Harrogate, says new BID manager

The new manager of Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) says he is confident the town centre will survive the covid crisis and that the ‘new normal’ will be favourable to the high street.

Matthew Chapman, who joined the organisation from Huddersfield BID, is set to take up the role officially from May.

He said the biggest concern was the “different levels of appetite” for people to get back out onto the high street and how to manage that demand.

As the economy continues to reopen under the government’s “roadmap”, Mr Chapman said it would be a challenge for businesses to adapt to the lockdown easing.

He said:

“On the small conversations that I have had with people, I think the biggest concern is different peoples’ level of appetite to get back out and about.

“A lot of people will still want to keep two metres apart, a lot of people will still want to wear masks, whereas other people are just ready to get back to normal.

“I think managing that as a business is probably going to be one of the challenging subjects over the next couple of months as we get to the magical date in June.”

Ahead of the anticipated demand, Mr Chapman will launch a new app to help businesses advertise their deals.

Read more:

The app will be a place for local traders in the town centre to advertise their own deals, competitions and different “interactive trails”, such as a craft beer trail.

Mr Chapman said the app could help people to discover different parts of the town centre.

Cambridge Street in Harrogate.

Cambridge Street in Harrogate town centre.

When asked how it would help businesses after the pandemic and what the thinking behind it was, Mr Chapman said:

“I think the thinking behind it is to showcase the best of the town so that it is all in one place, the deals, the competitions and the interactive trails.

“It’s one place that people can find and showcase the best of the town. As well as that, it’s another vehicle for businesses to promote themselves in an interactive and digital way.”

‘The new normal is really favourable to the high street’

The pandemic has taken its toll on retail and hospitality alike, with one Harrogate hotel boss admitting that hospitality had “lost its sexiness” due to covid.

Meanwhile, Harrogate Borough Council leader, Cllr Richard Cooper, has warned that footfall will continue to decline in the town centre without change after covid.

However, it was revealed on Friday that the percentage of vacant shops in the district had fallen to 6.8% in March compared with 8.6% on the same time last year.

But, Mr Chapman said he was confident that the town centre will survive the past 12 months of the pandemic.

He said:

“We’ve talked about the changes that are needed, but I think there is a huge appetite for people to come out and support the town centre.

“I know before there was concerns about whether people would want to come back to the high street and would people want to come back out. 

“But, in all honesty, I think the concerns are more around how we manage the demand. I think there is going to be lots of people coming back out.

“I think the ‘new normal’ is really favourable towards the high street.”

Harrogate Business Improvement District appoints new manager

Harrogate Business Improvement District has appointed Matthew Chapman as its new manager.

Harrogate is one of more than 300 places in the UK to have a BID, which aim to attract inward investment in town and city centres and boost footfall.

Mr Chapman, who will begin the £45,000 role on May 1, was appointed Leeds BID operations manager in 2016 before becoming Huddersfield’s BID manager in November 2019.

The job advert for his new role said the successful candidate would be responsible for a budget of £3m over five years, managing staff and partners, leading projects and delivering key performance indicators.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“Matthew was the standout candidate in our recent recruitment drive for a new manager. He brings with him experience of working with two major Yorkshire BIDS.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Matthew as Harrogate comes back to life from covid lockdown number three. He has some fantastic ideas for promoting Harrogate as a must-visit destination.”

Read more:

Mr Chapman said:

“Harrogate is a fantastic town with so much to offer, and coming here as a regular visitor since my childhood, I know it well.

“Thanks to my roles with both Leeds BID and Huddersfield BID, I’ve gained a great deal of experience working with businesses, councils, tourism bodies and the police. Building teams and working with wider teams is a core strength of mine.

“I’m really looking forward to starting my new job helping to promote Harrogate as a wonderful destination to shop, eat and drink, and to ensure the town centre is clean, safe and welcoming to all.”