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Battersea Power Station Retail The high street fights back Local business improvement districts (BIDs) are helping to boost the fortunes of retailers in Wandsworth borough… The UK high street has been something a modest 0.9% in January – the first rise market and inflation accelerating ahead of of a bloodbath in recent years. since October – mainly due to moderate forecast, adds to the case that the Bank Newsfeeds have been littered with growth in food stores (1.7%) and non-food of England should hold off cutting interest stories about retailers going out of stores (1.3%). Meanwhile, online sales as rates. However, weakness over the festive business, shedding jobs or closing a proportion of all retailing dropped from period means that sales volumes are only stores as consumers increasingly 19.3% in December 2019 to 19.0% in up 0.8% year on year and still down 0.8% choose to save their spare cash or January 2020 – indicating, perhaps, on a three-month by three-month basis. do their shopping online. a levelling out of the online market. Despite the slight rally seen in January, Yet despite the challenging economic markets have failed to react. landscape, many retailers have Reacting to these statistics, the British survived and some are even thriving. Retail Consortium (BRC) said the rise “It is essential progress is made quickly Encouragingly, recent statistics suggest in consumer confidence since the in the upcoming EU trade negotiations that proclamations about the death of the December election may have lifted otherwise the UK risks squandering any high street might be a little premature. willingness to spend. boost to consumer confidence. Without a comprehensive deal, food and other According to the latest Retail Sales Index Kyle Monk, head of retail insights and goods will face extensive tariffs, checks from the Office for National Statistics, analytics at the BRC, said: “A rise in sales, and delays at the border - raising costs month-on-month UK sales volumes rose coupled with the tightness in the labour and creating disruption for consumers.”

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Southside Shopping Centre

“Overall, shopper numbers to UK high streets have declined by 10% in the last seven years, so it is certainly very challenging to achieve year-on-year sales growth. It has to be about experience and that is one thing online-only retailers cannot compete with.”

to offer value for money in physical outlets events such as Old York Road Unplugged, and ensure the experience is sufficiently an annual music festival where the road enticing to keep customers coming back. is closed to traffic. This is very popular and a real help to businesses. Another critical factor in retailers’ success is the ability to offer a multi-channel “We look at cost-saving options such as experience, where physical stores how businesses can reduce their utility seamlessly co-exist with an online offering. bills or improve their waste management strategies. The BID is also looking to Pieter adds: “I also think that retailers need invest in the town by creating green to focus on communicating their values, spaces in certain areas and improving certainly around sustainability and staff air quality in locations where traffic wellbeing, which I believe will be a key throughput is high.” part of a successful growth strategy in the future.” Another BID, This is Clapham, also benefits businesses in the borough of Pieter is also chairman of the Wandsworth Wandsworth, particularly those located Despite the political and economic Business Improvement District (BID), to the west and north of Clapham Town. uncertainty surrounding Britain’s recent which was established in 2017 to promote Established in 2014, it is a not-for-profit exit from the European Union, retailers in the town’s heritage and culture, help company funded by 370 businesses and Wandsworth borough are just getting on businesses improve their performance and governed by volunteers from the local with the day-to-day job of doing business. enhance the town centre experience for business community through its board and shoppers, visitors and workers. sub-groups. These volunteers determine Pieter Strombeck, general manager of which projects to pursue and how the Southside Shopping Centre, says: He says: “The BID offers a lot of collected levies and any additional “It’s certainly not all doom and gloom. assistance for businesses including income is spent. We’re seeing some positive performers networking opportunities, loyalty cards, out there, especially companies with discount schemes, marketing support and Examples of successful projects good store managers who are able to include free business recycling, deliver great customer service. As an additional street cleaning, local area example, Hotel Chocolat do this very well marketing and initiatives to cut crime and and they’ve changed their focus to be anti-social behaviour. Companies and more customer-driven rather than simply their employees can also take advantage meeting specific sales KPIs – in effect, of offers, invitations and discounted having fun with their customers, engaging deals via the Clapham Card, which with them and delivering a fantastic was introduced to boost spending and experience. Overall, shopper numbers cross-trading in the area. to UK high streets have declined by 10% in the last seven years, so it is certainly Jeremy Keates, manager of This is very challenging to achieve year-on-year Clapham, says: “In the six years since we sales growth. It has to be about experience first set up, there has been a significant and that is one thing online-only retailers evolution in the local retailing landscape. cannot compete with.” Although there has been a decline in the number of traditional retailers, other Pieter reports an encouraging growth in businesses have set up in the area and footfall numbers at Southside over the taken space in previously empty shops. last three months. The key challenge is

Pieter Strombeck Business Connexions | 5 RETAIL

Battersea is also home for Roz Lloyd- Williams, who has been a resident there for more than two decades. Roz is Executive BID Director of the Clapham Junction BID, which is responsible for delivering innovative projects that help to improve the trading environment for businesses, drive tourism and enhance the shopping experience for residents and visitors. Roz says: “The Junction BID is prioritising three key themes, highlighted by BID area businesses, during the extensive consultation prior to the November 2018 ballot. These themes are marketing and promotion, safe and welcoming, and events and festivals. However, we have huge scope for flexibility to respond perennially to changing demands. “We want to create effective partnerships that enable the area to flourish. Our aim is to identify and create as many new opportunities and initiatives to enable positive change. We’re maximising the value of local events to increase footfall The Clapham Junction BID’s new website The Junction and presence in the London events marketplace; the Lavender in Bloom (June), Eat & Drink The Junction (15-30 June), Coloured Light Art Installation giant Uniqlo, elegant perfumery and The Summer Festival and Christmas Market at Clapham Junction candlemaker Jo Malone London, and on Northcote Road for BID businesses are one of the UK’s largest Swiss watch good examples of this. We also introduced luxury retailers, Watches of Switzerland. street art and bespoke Christmas lights Once open, the power station will be home last year and will be undertaking urban to more than one hundred established, landscaping projects to add extra luxury and emerging retail, food and character to the area. leisure brands, providing a space for new, “We carry out street cleansing operations unique concepts and creative designs and work closely with the police to make the that will complement the host of shops and restaurants already open at Circus BID area a safer place to live and work via, “As well as driving forward initiatives like for example, our extensive promotion of the free recycling and street cleaning, we’ve West Village, the first chapter in this redevelopment. Wandsworth Business Against Crime app also tried to promote companies via online and the launch of a new Pubwatch group listings on our website; we’ve had about Approximately 70% of the total commercial spearheaded by the BID.” 180,000 listings in the last twelve months. space within the power station is now let, This allows us to promote the area as a with more than 45% of the retail and leisure The Junction BID is also active on social whole and boost the presence of individual floorspace exchanged or under offer. media and has created a consumer-facing businesses, particularly those that don’t website - www.visitclaphamjunction.com - have a strong online footprint. Simon Murphy, chief executive officer at with B2B elements for employees, offering Battersea Power Station Development them special discounts, incentives and “We’ve also been involved in schemes Company (BPSDC), said: “We are memberships. designed to make the area more appealing delighted to be partnering with these for residents and visitors, such as arts exciting brands which set the tone for Anthony Laban (Mint Hair London Ltd), and public realm projects around Clapham our retail and leisure offering inside the chair of The Junction BID, says: “We’re Common and in areas to the west of power station. On behalf of our Malaysian delighted to deliver a new consumer-facing Clapham old town. Essentially, what shareholders we are delivering a website that really reflects the personality we’re trying to do is to bring more people destination for our local community as of Clapham Junction and its surrounding into the area, encourage them to spend well as London and far beyond.” environs, while delivering powerful their money here and get businesses functionality. We chose a design system trading with each other.” Brian Duffy, CEO of Watches of Switzerland, that could be tailored to suit both the needs said: “We think the whole project south of In the north east of Wandsworth borough, of the businesses we represent, and our the river is an amazing development in all residents and visitor market. New Covent Garden Market is a vital aspects of residential and commercial. supplier to retailers, providing them “In addition to promoting what The Junction with fruit, vegetables, flowers and other We have looked at the power station on the has to offer, driving footfall and increasing wholesale goods which can then be sold landscape for a number of years and never visitors, we will be able to use the platform onto consumers. Based in Nine Elms imagined it would become such a retail to really track and analyse our digital since 1974, the iconic market is home to destination. We are proud to be one of the nearly 200 businesses with around 2,500 marketing and, in turn, help businesses flagship stores anchored by the country’s with their future marketing. The B2B ‘app’ employees. It is currently undergoing an number one luxury watch brand, Rolex.” exciting development that will transform component launches this April which the site into a thriving, modern food quarter. will facilitate the development of loyalty schemes and exclusive deals at local Meanwhile, Battersea Power Station shops, restaurants and services, with recently announced the first line-up of UK B2B integration for Junction employees. and international retail and leisure brands The B2C ‘app’ for consumers also set to open their doors in the iconic Grade launches this April.” II* listed building when it launches in 2021. These companies include luxury fashion The BID is also introducing two new schemes house Hugo Boss, Japanese casualwear for recycling and waste, and group amenity- buying - to save businesses money. 6 | Business Connexions Business Connexions | 7 Battersea Power Station