BID Leamington has completed its first year of trading on a high with a number of successful achievements for the town. The ‘not for profit’ organisation, which began trading in July 2008, is responsible for marketing and promoting Royal Leamington Spa, making the town ‘the preferred place to visit, shop and have fun’. The Board, which comprises of 15 levy payers including representatives from Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council, has now been re-elected for the next twelve months. The Board will meet every 6 weeks to ensure the business plan for 2009/10 is delivered on time and on budget.
The last 12 months have been extremely productive in terms of implementing new initiatives and projects. These include the recent launch of a new website for BID Leamington and for Royal Leamington Spa along with the creation of a new town logo. In addition BID Leamington have organised a number of highly successful events including the Royal Leamington Spa Food & Drink Festival last August which attracted over 10,000 people. An Independents’ Day event to promote the town as the home of the ‘independent retailer’ took place in July and attracted several thousand visitors. Independent shops that took part in the promotion reported a significant increase in footfall and sales during the day.
“Pamper Leamington” was another highly successful and popular promotion which took place in March and encouraged visitors to experience health & beauty salons. BID Leamington have also published a number of promotional magazines which have become an important and effective marketing tool for the town. These include a comprehensive shopping guide, a magazine entitled “Parade” promoting national retailers in the town and “Inspire” which focuses on the independent retailers.
In May, BID Leamington positioned 3D maps of the town across the windows of empty retail premises at key entry points into the town. The maps not only help visitors navigate the town centre but also cover up windows of empty premises making the streets look more attractive. In June, BID Leamington organised 250 new hanging baskets which were positioned around the BID area dramatically enhancing the town.
BID Leamington is currently organising a number of future promotions including the Royal Leamington Spa Food & Drink Festival along with the ‘Taste Trail’ in August, ‘National Dining Week’ in October and a number of events planned around Christmas.
Helen Smith, Executive Director of BID Leamington, stated “We are delighted with the number of successful and innovative promotions we have implemented over the last 12 months. Each promotion has contributed in raising the profile of the town, attracting more visitors and leading to a significant increase in sales for businesses. The Board and I look forward to working together on a number of new initiatives over the next 12 months to ensure Leamington is the preferred shopping destination for the region.”
For more information on Royal Leamington Spa, please visit the website at
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