Winchester Business Excellence Awards
The BID has been a lead partner and sponsor of the Winchester Business Excellence Awards for more than a decade. We work with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the Hampshire Chronicle to deliver these awards which recognise the achievements of local businesses and reward them for their commitment to excellence.
Savings and Advisory Service
Our Savings and Advisory Service for BID members is offered in partnership with industry experts Beyond Procurement. The service offers free advice and support on reducing costs and carbon for BID members. The Beyond Procurement team can help ensure you are not paying too much on core business expenses such as energy, merchant services, water, telecoms, insurance, pest control, waste management and business training. Free webinars and business health clinics are also available as well as advice and support with carbon reduction, business grants and green loans to help businesses reduce their emissions and become greener.
Training, Networking and Business Events
The BID responds to the training needs of BID members by offering free or discounted courses for business owners and their staff based on local demand. The BID also works closely with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce to deliver a range of events. We offer regular networking sessions with guest speakers as well as more formal events, including our Annual General Meeting and BID Forums to keep you updated on our activities and provide opportunities to discuss key issues in the city.
Winchester Business Hub
In 2013 we opened up our former workspace at Winchester Business Centre in Parchment Street and launched hot desk and virtual office packages to support the growth of start-up businesses in the city. This provided affordable workspace for new businesses as well as additional income for the BID which was reinvested into projects and services to improve the city. In 2024 we moved to St Thomas Street and opened Winchester Business Hub where we continue to offer a virtual office package. The Business Hub also has a meeting room which is used by the BID and the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce Winchester and District Business Strategy Group.
Health and Wellbeing
In 2020 we launched a scheme for employees of businesses which are BID members to raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing in the workplace and to encourage people who work in Winchester to use local businesses and organisations which offer health-related events and services to enhance their fitness and wellbeing. There is a regular feature in our fortnightly e-news with useful information and upcoming activities and events.
Equality and Diversity
The BID is committed to equality of opportunity for all people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. Useful equality and diversity resources for businesses are available from the Equality and Human Rights Commission website, ACAS also provide guidance on improving equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and training is available locally from Hampshire Chamber of Commerce as well as other local training providers.
Business Continuity
The BID has provided support for businesses in times of need, including offering snow clearing in winter, flood support, assistance during power loss and road works disruption as well as Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance during the recent pandemic. We will continue to help enable business continuity for our BID members.
Influencing the Agenda
The BID regularly provides comment on major city centre projects such as Central Winchester Regeneration and Station Approach. We will continue to listen to feedback from BID members and always aim to provide a balanced view of business needs and requirements. We also comment on other consultations and issues which impact city centre businesses such as the Winchester District Local Plan, Winchester District Cultural Strategy, Winchester Movement Strategy, Bushfield Camp Regeneration and Business Rates, among others. Please contact us to pass on your business views: enquiries@winchesterbid.co.uk.
Footfall and Behaviour Insights
We collect data on footfall, visitors, catchment, dwell time and social demographics which can assist businesses and help to inform city centre management and inward investment decisions. Click here to view Monthly Performance Reports.
Town Centre Audits
The BID organise perception surveys to evaluate how well the city centre is managed. This includes cleaning, parking and access, walking routes and safety. We will continue to organise regular surveys and share the data with relevant parties, such as the local authorities and the Police to influence improvements in operations.
Business Barometer
The quarterly Business Barometer provides vital intelligence on current and future trading outlooks and helps us to better understand trends, comparing our progress with similar destinations and understanding how particular events impact city centre businesses. We have conducted this survey since 2011, which allows us to analyse how patterns and trends have changed over time. Click here to view the Business Barometer Reports.
In 2018 we published a separate research report on the retail sector in Winchester entitled Best Performing Retailers. In 2020 during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak we launched a new business magazine called Kind Words offering ideas to help businesses through the pandemic and beyond, Kind Words: Issue 1 (June 2020), Issue 2 (April 2021), Issue 3 (September 2021), Issue 4 (February 2022), Issue 5 (May 2022) and Issue 6 (October 2022).
